News

Mankato, Minnesota considers creating food truck hub

June 29, 2017

The Mankato, Minnesota City Council will vote on approving a hub for food trucks after the plan gained unanimous support from the Planning Commission, according to The Mankato Free Press.

Dain Fisher is seeking the conditional use permit to allow up to seven food trucks on North Riverfront Drive between the old Hubbard office building that houses the MSU Innovation Center and Mankato Iron and Metal. Fisher believes the trucks could operate five days a week, for private events and during Riverfront Park events.

A tavern owner and a bakery owner have said the city should require that the trucks are a certain distance from restaurants. Both businesses are less than 90 feet from the proposed food hub.

Old Town business owners have supported the concept, saying it helps create more pedestrian traffic in the area and more meeting areas.

Tony Filipovitch, planning commission chairman, said the city has struggled to find ways to create meeting areas in Old Town. "And here's an entrepreneur to do it and in effect gift it to the city," he said.