Food trucks are great for generating foot traffic and activity in areas that are on the fringes of walking districts. In Portland, they bring life to the downtown blocks that were barren by setting up in underutilized parking lots. In Palo Alto, the Edgewood Eats weekly event brings people to beleaguered Edgewood shopping center.

So, I agree with Ronit Bryant. There are spots on the edges of downtown, like the parking lots on Evelyn, that could work. What about the parking lot at County Services on Moffett across Central Expwy? Or the Caltrain parking lot? We clear a section of the Caltrain lot for Sunday morning's Farmer's market. Maybe on Saturday nights it could be used for food trucks.

Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay is a restaurant that has food trucks. This is a trend - so downtown restaurants should be looking at how they can augment their business by supporting take-away, catering, etc. The larger downtown restaurants might consider acquiring food trucks to reach the nether edges of Mountain View - like The Landings area.

I believe some restaurants will be hurt by food trucks. Baskin-Robbins would probably benefit as if there is a big crowd for food trucks some people may like an ice cream dessert. The food trucks probably appeal to a wider demographic than restaurants - families with children who don't want to sit still in a restaurant enjoy good quality food trucks.

Castro Street, however, is not an ideal venue - what works is a big parking lot near a residential area. So the other side of the tracks or the other side of El Camino from downtown could be explored.

Lets not put food trucks in areas that already have a high concentration of people...best to use them to attract people to areas that don't get as much traffic. Good idea, we just need the right place

Here is another idea: people can go to restaurants and order food from the menu that lists items from the food trucks. Restaurants add a markup to the bill. Everyone is happy. I hate food trucks because they don't pay any taxes and don't pay for anything that the city has to maintain. People who eat from food trucks don't think about real issues like this and have no common sense or ethics. Folks, restaurants located in downtown and other places pay rents and other fees and that supports employing people. If you eat from food trucks, it doesn't support the lcoal city/town. SO I don't know what kind of SH*T people eat that they don't think issues like these.

As much as the food trucks might appeal to the general public downtown, McAlister has a very valid point. Particularly over the lunch hour, the trucks would compete with many of the local restaurants. Yes, I do believe they're fighting for much of the same clientele. Many of the restaurants offer take-out, or can also be somewhat "grab and go" in their service.

Those restaurants pay significant monthly rent, and they must account for that rent expense in their food prices. If I were a restaurant owner (or a business landlord renting to a restaurant), I'd be ticked off to have a new competitor, who pays no rent, and was not in the picture when I signed my lease.

If the City of Mountain View values its downtown food businesses, the City should take those businesses into account when writing mobile vendor policies. Margins are already slim in the food business...and nobody wants a bunch of vacant storefronts on Castro.

Going to a food truck, for me anyways, has always been about NOT wanting to go to a restaurant that day. Its more about avoiding fast food joints than anything else. For me, going to a restaurant and going to a food truck are non competing ideas. When I'm in the mood for a restaurant, I go, when I want fast food(food trucks included), I go.
Two totally different animals/experiences for me.

Seems like the food trucks would cause a lot of congestion if they are downtown at lunch when its already almost impossible to park. I think having them in an area less congested is better.

Castro Street already has lots of restaurants, so I don't think they should go there and parking is starting to disappear at lunchtime as the economy picks up. They should go to areas that have parking lots like parks, such as Cuesta, and a lack of quality restaurants nearby. They you could enjoy your lunch in a beautiful setting. Or local school parking lots in the evening, as I'm sure parents who are at a sports game would appreciate an easy way to get food to go home after the game.

It should not be city government's job to shield businesses from competition. We don't know if food trucks will take customers away from restaurants or make downtown a nicer place and increase the size of the pie for all businesses. In the absence of evidence, I favor fewer government regulations.

City government does have a legitimate concern about safety and traffic flow on Castro. Food trucks should only be allowed on Castro if they don't hold up traffic or create hazards.

There are many eateries on Castro St. as it is. Seemingly the turnover rate is high as these eateries come and go. Now with the addition of food trucks, the turnover rate will be even higher!!! Why? Because the food trucks will divide and conquer AND take over downtown. Perhaps one day Mtn. View can get an A & W Root beer eatery back!

I agree that food trucks can provide a good option in the right location. I doubt that St. Joseph's Church would want to allow food trucks in their parking lot, since they already designate 30 of their parking spaces next to Castro St to be used by local business employees.

I work in the Sunnyvale Business Park on California Ave at Mathilda and we have a regular rotation of food trucks at lunch time most days of the week, including Sam's Chowdermobile once a month. It has worked out well for the employees of the businesses there to have food trucks as a lunch option. Some patrons even drive there from other places, since they follow their favorite trucks on social media.

Martin -

While I agree in general, I disagree in this particular case. The City has more or less "sized" the available options via its zoning processes and business permits. To significantly "re-size" the market after the game has started is playing too large a direct role in the competition.

I'd liken this to taxi licenses (medallions) in large cities. The Cities set and allow a finite number of medallions. This sets the market and the pricing. Taxi drivers pay for their medallion based on the supply/demand. To after-the-fact make a number of incremental medallions available rarely happens, since it's unfair to those who purchased their medallions in a more limited environment.

Please don't use the taxi medallions as a model.

Those medallions become worth their weight in gold.. million dollars sometimes.

It puts the little guys out of business and eventually all the drivers are more or less sharecroppers.

I am fine with food trucks as long as they keep their areas clean. All too often you can tell where I truck has been by the trash left behind. I know this is the fault of their customers but I don't want to pay a city employee to keep these areas clean.

While I can have used food trucks( or roach coaches as they are more commonly referred to)for a quick bite at festivals or at work. I don't agree with the offering of their services on Castro St on a regular basis.

Consider the size of the vehicles, minimally, they are the size of a short school bus but most are much larger,if parked anywhere on Castro St. it will surely block the the street view and exposure of a 'brick and mortar' business that pays a monthly rent, taxes and fees including street clean up and maintenance. These fees that will be utilized to empty the city sidewalk garbage cans and pay for additional street sweeper services that will undoubtedly be needed to handle the increase food wrappers and waste.

I liken this situation to that of the Mountain View homeowner that has to pay property taxes and utilities to live in Mountain View yet, a MOTOR HOME dweller/owner does have NOT have to pay property taxes or utilities and can LIVE in their motor home in Mountain View (as those living on Pamela Ave. and also, Independence Ave.)

At least consider making the financial commitment/investment and community responsibility equal by assessing monthly charges to the food truck vendors comparable to a store front business i.e rental space per square foot of occupied space (based on parking space sizes with a minimum area charge of 5 spaces for example), additional fees for city waste, recycling and maintenance fees, utility charges assessed if the city opts to also,provide utility hook ups,etc.

Then we can see if the food truck vendors are still willing to accept these as "costs for doing business" in Mountain View and if they are still willing to hang their "mobile shingle" on Castro St or if they wouldn't rather take their meals to go.

Palo Alto has (or had) a lot devoted specifically to food trucks located just off of University Avenue. That part of Palo Alto also has gobs of regular restaurants which some would say are a cut above their counterparts on Castro. So maybe competition is good.

Would the food trucks be forced to pay the same taxes and fees as the brick and mortar restaurants?

Would they make the same "contribution" to the city's coffers? If so, are they audited?

Nice idea, not well-thought out. Castro would turn into a food truck slum- what's next? A flea market? Those Castro restaurants would hurt unless they add their own trucks to the line.

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