Conroe - Montgomery Edition - May 2022

It's not enough to offer sort of low cost of living, good schools—you really have to attract people with things like restaurants and green spaces and food truck parks. KELSEY STREUFERT, CHIEF PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER FOR THE TEXAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION

“Over the years, the food truck parks have been popping up, and also the food trucks, you see them every- where,” said Tanveer Iqbal, owner of Yum Food Truck Park in Willis, which opened in March. “There’s a lot of development in the Willis area, so we figured we’d take advantage of the opportunity and introduced a food truck park [to Willis]. Adapting to the pandemic Michael Anderson—owner of the Dizzy Pies and Wiches On Wheels food trucks, which were previously located at Deacon Baldy’s food truck park on FM 1488—opened The Mont- gomery Grove food truck park in March in Montgomery; a restaurant is in the works at the park, too. He said food truck parks provide a con- sistent place of business, and while the pandemic affected most busi- nesses, having the option of to-go food was helpful. “[Food trucks] helped us during COVID[-19] because people in their mind didn’t want to go to a restaurant and sit down, so they came to a food truck,” Anderson said. “But the reason we were picked a lot was people knew exactly where we were going to be.” Also, Streufert said she believes

In Montgomery, Bill Clevenger, owner of food truck Texas Twist & Shakes, said he had no problems with the county when complying with permits and ordinances, but the city of Montgomery had considered an ordinance that would have prevented Texas Twist & Shakes from open- ing even though it had already been approved to open. “We invested all the capital and resources, time, effort, money to get to the point to open, and then [City Council] was trying to stop us before we even opened,” Clevenger said. The ordinance amendment, which didnot pass in September, wouldhave required mobile food units to have a special-use permit, operate between 9 a.m.-7 p.m., avoid parking within 50 feet of any street corner or side- walk, and avoid sales within 1,000 feet of a school. “Previously, we had no real specific permitting to an in-city festival [relat- ing to food trucks]. Now that we have a year and a half of data we have the ability to go back and refine that [ordi- nance] and improve it,” Tramm said.

things such as operation times and locations for trucks. In May 2021, Conroe City Council approved amending an ordinance so food trucks could no longer operate in downtown—east of Hwy. 75—but also extended operating hours for food trucks from two hours to six hours elsewhere in the city. Director of Com- munity Development Nancy Mikeska said it has been difficult to enforce the ordinance on the weekends with few staff, but the city is working on hiring code officers and telling food trucks how they can be compliant. “[Food trucks are] new to us. It’s new to Conroe in the last year or so, and the council has worked very hard on making this a viable business option,” Mikeska said. Mikeska said the city has not received complaints about noncom- pliant food trucks but plans to revisit the ordinance in the future.

food truck parks are an attraction for a city. “It’s not enough to offer sort of low cost of living, good schools—you really have to attract people with things like restaurants and green spaces and food truck parks,” Streufert said. “So I think that’s part of why we’re seeing more of an investment in that. People value it. People want to live in cities that have those kinds of amenities.” In addition, Iqbal said rising con- struction costs and the option of pro- viding an open-air area made it easier to choose a food truck over a brick- and-mortar restaurant. “Food truck parks are outdoors, so there’s no problems with ventilation or social distancing,” Iqbal said. City ordinances and permits With the recent popularity of food trucks, both Conroe and Montgomery have passed ordinances to address

For more information, visit communityimpact.com .

We are thrilled to the announce the opening of our newest office in Woodforest. With our state-of-the-art offices, Hanigan & Johnson Orthodontics have been providing smiles for over 20 years. We are a Top 1% Invisalign provider for Teens and Adults and Trudenta Headache Relief certified, offer free orthodontic

evaluations, and accept most insurance plans. Gear up and schedule an appointment today!

NOW SCHEDULING COMPLIMENTARY

TOMBALL (281) 351-5482 29220 Quinn Road Tomball, TX 77375

MAGNOLIA (281) 356-2929 827 S. Magnolia Blvd. Bldg. 2 Ste. C Magnolia, TX 77355

EXAMS FOR JUNE 2022

WOODFOREST (936) 534-WOFO 760 Fishcreek Thoroughfare Montgomery, TX 77316

NORTHPOINTE (832) 777-7001 12231 Northpointe Blvd. Tomball, TX 77377

WOODFORESTBRACES.COM

27

CONROE - MONTGOMERY EDITION • MAY 2022

Powered by