by Maire Crooks, Current staff writer
If you drive down Empty Song Road on a Friday night, chances are a food truck will be parked off to the side feeding hungry neighbors. Many members of the River Hill community welcome the vehicles, but others have raised concerns.
The Friday Night Food Truck neighborhood tradition started in 2020 as a way to support local, small businesses and get carry-out for a COVID-friendly activity, and it has quickly risen in popularity. High school students in the area can walk or drive each Friday night and grab a quality meal for a great price.
The location is approximately 3 miles from River Hill High School, and only 0.7 miles from the River Hill Pool. The trucks are open to the public, not just residents of the Pheasant Ridge or Pointers Run neighborhoods. Among favorite food trucks are Greek on the Street, Cheese it Up, and Breaking the Borders.
At River Hill Board Meetings, some neighbors have raised concerns such as pedestrian and lighting safety, as well as crowds gathering and the location of the trucks. The Village Board held meetings in January, February and March to work through these issues.
During the Board meeting on January 4th, according to the meeting’s minutes, Ms. Sanner, who lives on Empty Song Road, “spoke about the food trucks and expressed concern about the frequency and length of time the trucks are present and the negative impacts. She suggested implementing an application and review process and supported the concept of forming a committee.” Many residents were in favor of creating a committee to assist in facilitating the trucks, ensuring that the vehicles would not become a nuisance to the community.
Several community members suggested better locations for the food trucks in the neighborhood that have wider streets or less adjacent homes.
Currently there are no laws regulating food trucks in the Village of River Hill. This leads to many questions of how to handle this situation. Mr. Zaller, who resides in River Hill, “suggested that, based on HOA case law, there could be ways for the community association to restrict vehicles parked on public roads.” Should the community association restrict vehicles? That question is still up for debate.
Many residents have also suggested new locations for the food trucks to help them reach a wider audience in different parts of the Village. Locations suggested were River Run and Summer Sunrise Drive.
Although many suggestions were made on how to improve the Friday night food trucks, citizens were still grateful that the trucks were being organized. Hallie Goldstein, a freshman at River Hill, remarks “I would love to go to the food trucks with my friends during this coming spring and summer. Food trucks are such a fun way to try new foods and support local businesses.”
The topic was brought up again during the March Village Board meeting, where no consensus was made.
Susan Smith, the River Hill Village Manager, explains that, “At this time, it does not appear the Board of Directors will pursue this issue further.”
The food trucks will be allowed to continue to park on Empty Song Road and trucks are currently scheduled for every Friday night from now through September.