Changes Made to Proposed New Hoboken Food Truck Policy

A new version of the which was met with , has lowered the initially proposed fee and now stipulates that no more than three trucks can be parked on a block, said Councilwoman Jennifer Giattino.

Giattino, who is proposing the change, said that the new ordinance—which will have to be re-introduced during a meeting in December—doesn't ask the vendors for an annual $1,250 fee.

What remains, she said, is a $500 permit and an annual $2,500 enforcement fee. Under the new proposal, food truck vendors are allowed to park on a metered spot for four hours. (All other parkers only have two hours on a metered spot.)

Giattino said also that the vendors would be able to choose between a four-day and a seven-day permit.

The food trucks will still have to feed the meter, Giattino said, and will have to pay a yearly fee for this "privilege" that's based on the size of the vehicle.

Rather than the first proposal—which stipulated that trucks have to be at least 50 feet away from each other—the new ordinance states that no more than three trucks can be parked on one block.

One of the places where this would work, Giattino said, is downtown Sinatra Drive, where multiple food trucks are parked every day.

"It's a place where food trucks work," she said.

Giattino said also that the new ordinance states that trucks have to be at least 75 feet from a brick and mortar business with a menu, rather than the initially proposed 100 feet.

Food truck owners will still have to install a GPS so that the city knows where the truck is located at all times.

"It's the only way to make the regulations work," Giattino said.

Hoda Mahmoodzadegan, a 26-year-old about to open her own foodtruck, wrote an email to Giattino and said she is worried about the proposed changes.

"I have put every last nickel and dime I had into bringing my truck to life," Mahmoodzadegan wrote.

"I have overcome many obstacles along the way but I never knew that the law would turn out to be the biggest."