Courtesy Winter Park
A proposal to locate three food trucks near Hideaway Station on Main Street in Winter Park was denied by the town council on Tuesday.
Local business owners Jayson Harris and Austin Grey, who own two businesses in Hideaway Station, The Perk Taproom and Greenspaces, applied for a special use permit to redevelop the front portion of their building into a food truck pad with room for three options.
According to their application, the owners envisioned a large gravel pad with seating, similar to what a Buena Vista business did at the Buena Viking, in between their businesses and Main Street.
However, town council members were hesitant to allow a portion of Main Street to be redeveloped and had concerns about pedestrian traffic and safety.
Town staff who reviewed the permit raised questions about the lack of details regarding what businesses would be participating, their hours of operation, the potential impacts on parking and traffic, and no access to public restrooms.
Previous special use permit applicants have provided a traffic and pedestrian control plan that wasn’t included in this application.
“Approval has the likelihood of creating a nuisance,” said James Shockey, community development director for Winter Park.
Winter Park’s Planning Commission denied the application on Nov. 12 due to concerns about the lack of detail and inappropriate location.
While the application named at least one business that had committed to a food truck in the space, Winter Park’s Wake ‘n Bacon, the other two spots remained up for grabs.
Aside from increasing the dining options available in town, the applicants felt the idea would improve foot traffic in the area and provide a building block for food entrepreneurs who may not be able to afford a brick and mortar location.
The town received one comment from a Telemark Condominiums resident, who opposed the idea because of the potential trash, smells and impact of people hanging out in the area without a public restroom.
The council unanimously denied the application.