Food trucks in Champaign will be allowed to continue to run for at least another year after the city council decided to extend the Mobile Food Truck Pilot Project through June 30, 2014.

The project June 1, 2012, and had been scheduled to end on June 30, 2013. The project has permitted mobile food trucks to run in certain areas of Champaign.

Trucks seeking to participate in the project have to apply for permits from the city. As of today, seven permits have been issued as a part of the project, but only three trucks are currently operating.

Rob Kowalski, assistant planning director for the city of Champaign, said that the overall response to the project has been good. The trucks are currently allowed to operate in seven locations across Champaign. However, Kowalski explained that some adjustment in location due to construction and bus loading is necessary.

“Visitors and employees did really like the trucks,” Kowalski said. “We have received a lot of great comments from people who enjoyed the trucks.”

Kowalski said that some of the current permitted locations have not been very successful due to a light population of people. He said that the Neil and Washington parking lot is the least popular spot, not ideal for foot traffic and customers, and that the Neil Street loading zone is the most popular spot because of its downtown location.

“Downtown, (people) really like the grab and go option, which isn’t always available at local restaurants,” Kowalski said.

In response to this, there will be adjustments to the locations of food trucks. The area on Church Street will be relocated to the North side of Main Street, between Walnut and Freemont Streets, and the space on Wright Street, north of Green Street, will be relocated to the south side of Green Street.

In addition to the relocated spots, the maximum decibel level will be set to about 70 decibels, and the length of stay will be increased from two hours to four. These changes will be applied on July 1, 2013.

According to the city’s report, there have been no issues from the police, but there were several complaints about the noise from some trucks. Kowalski said some concerns of the project are that the participation has been limited, and some trucks spent most of the time during school year at one spot. The vendors also feel that the two-hour limit is too restrictive. The set up and clean up together takes approximately one hour, said Daniel Krause, co-founder of Cracked Truck.

“With that two hours, we find ourselves sometimes serving for only an hour to an hour fifteen minutes,” Krause said.

Krause said that the food trucks are allowed to park at the meter spots all day in the city of Urbana, which is more favorable to the trucks rather than the 2-hour limit.

“People know exactly where to find us all the time,” Krause said. “It confused people a little bit when the truck is moving from place to place.”

He addressed the conflict issue food trucks have with restaurant owners, as well. He said that the food truck owners also have to pay property tax, warehouse rents and all other fees, just like all other restaurants.

Anne Clark, general manager of Seven Saints, said that the mobile food trucks have the advantages of being moveable. She suggested that the city compensate for the restaurants’ loss of business. She said that there is no point of being moveable if the trucks are allowed to stay at one place for a long time.

Council member Vic McIntosh, district 3, expressed his concern on the relocation to the North side of Main Street, near the News-Gazette building. He said the city would have to notify the restaurant owners in that area on this specific change.

Deputy mayor Thomas Bruno suggested the food trucks to target high school students. He said that if there large varieties of lunch options exist, students will not have to bring cars on campus.

Earn can be reached at [email protected].