The Future of Downtown Food Carts - Portland City Council - Oct 31

October 29, 2018

What: "The Culinary Corridor" -- a plan to save downtown's threatened food carts
When: Wednesday, Oct 31, 9:30 am
Where: Portland City Hall
Downtown food carts were born of the Great Recession. Multiplying across the city's surface parking lots, they have collectively grown into one of Portland's great, grassroots success stories. They have fostered, economic opportunities, culinary experimentation, cultural diversity, tourism, and tasty, inexpensive food.
But, soon, downtown's most iconic food cart "pod"—the full block at SW 10th and Alder, known as Block 216—will be replaced with mixed-use hotel/condo, Portland's fourth tallest building. The pod's 55 food carts are poised to be lost next year.
Development of surface parking lots is inevitable. Downtown food carts are endangered species. Portland needs to step up and help them.
In three, back-to-back "communications" to Portland City Council Wednesday, 9:30 am, a trio of food cart advocates will present a concept: "The Culinary Corridor."
The Culinary Corridor is an anti-business displacement plan. But it's also a bold urban design move to create an exciting festival street linking downtown's hippest shopping district, the West End, with the Cultural District. It will re-energize a moribund downtown street with culturally diverse, inexpensive food. It will be a tourist magnet for visitors looking for an authentic Portland experience.
The Culinary Corridor will be the kind of simple, bold, thrifty innovation Portland has long been known for.
Come hear our presentation!
Brett Burmeister started FoodCartsPortland.com in 2008. He is Portland's leading food-cart tour guide and a fierce advocate for their continued health and diversity.
Daniel Huerta started Churros Locos in 2013 after being laid off. He now has two food truck and a catering business. The World Street Food Congress named Churros Locos to the "Top 50 World Street Food Masters."
Randy Gragg is a longtime Portland writer and urban design advocate. He has been outspoken about food carts since 2009 when he gave a lecture to the Urban Land Institute on them being "the most important new development in downtown."
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