Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
2 <br /> Allowing trucks within the County's planning jurisdiction will involve changes to existing <br /> land use, and potentially other, regulations involving multiple internal departments and <br /> planning partners (i.e. Solid Waste, Environmental Health, Inspections, Emergency <br /> Services, NC Department of Transportation (NC DOT), etc.). <br /> BACKGROUND: Trucks are a self-contained food service operation parked and/or <br /> moved from site to site providing services to a transitory customer base. Typically they <br /> have self-contained wastewater and water supply systems and connection to other <br /> supplies is prohibited unless specifically approved. <br /> In consultation with the Orange County Health Department, staff has been informed <br /> there are provisions within existing administrative rules governing the construction and <br /> operation of trucks, which can be permitted by any County in North Carolina to operate <br /> anywhere (i.e. Trucks permitted in Alamance County by the local Health Department <br /> can operate in Orange County as well). The only caveat to this is trucks must operate <br /> in conjunction with a permitted restaurant or commissary, are subject to the terms and <br /> conditions of the permit for the base operation, and any other special conditions <br /> associated with the trucks permit. <br /> ISSUE: The issue(s) surrounding trucks, in no particular order, include- <br /> 1. Trucks are not listed as a permitted use of property within Section 5.2 Table of <br /> Permitted Uses of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). As a result they <br /> are prohibited (Section 5.1.1 of the UDO). <br /> 2. Trucks do not meet existing definitions and/or regulations to be considered a <br /> customary accessory use to a principal use of property. <br /> 3. Trucks typically park in urban centers or areas to take advantage of pedestrian <br /> traffic. <br /> Within the County's planning jurisdiction there is no central urban area for such <br /> units to stage. Patrons are required to drive to trucks in order to take advantage <br /> of their service(s) due to the separation of commercial and residentially <br /> developed areas as well as a lack existing pedestrian infrastructure (i.e. <br /> sidewalks). <br /> As reviewed in past discussions there are limits related to the placement of <br /> sidewalks within public rights-of-way as NC DOT does not maintain them. Given <br /> the lack of funds and personnel necessary to install and maintain sidewalks in <br /> perpetuity staff is unsure how pedestrian infrastructure could be <br /> installed/maintained to encourage access to commercial centers throughout the <br /> County. <br /> 4. When trucks stage on developed property they occupy parking spaces that are <br /> intended to serve existing businesses. <br /> This, technically, reduces the availability of required parking spaces necessary to <br /> support a non-residential land use below what the UDO requires as well as <br /> creates additional traffic/pedestrian conflict(s) internal to the site as people are <br /> attempt to access the non-residential land use and trucks at the same time. <br /> This creates a violation of land use regulations. <br />