There is a new food truck park in the works on Bankhead Highway! Located at 401 Bankhead Highway, the Carrollton Food Truck Court will bring variety and new dining options to Carrollton residents. The whole idea started when property Owner Brent Harris was speaking with food truck owners about the availability to serve customers in Carrollton. Currently, as the zoning laws in the city go, a food truck can only operate on an industrial property, not a commercial property. “From a legal standpoint, the food truck has to be designated as a special use purpose because we aren’t on an industrial property,” said Harris. “We aren’t exactly rezoning the property to industrial, they [the city] just broadened the usage of the commercial parcel to allow food trucks to operate there.”
The Bankhead corridor has been undergoing a revitalization over the last several years. With the addition of the greenbelt, restructuring of the roadways, and the new business openings, the Bankhead corridor is looking much different than it has in previous decades. With the addition of the food truck park, it will allow for more pedestrian traffic and more ‘walk up’ customers to the area. “We are trying to make Bankhead more of a destination-type commercial corridor and something that is a little bit more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists.” said Harris.
The new property will serve as a space for food trucks to finally operate on a legitimate designated space in Carrollton due to the restrictions of the zoning laws. “Currently, the only place food trucks are allowed to legally operate in Carrollton is the brewery, Printers Ale Manufacturing Co. which is located in the back of an industrial printing facility,” said Harris. “This gives people like Sam, the owner of Blue Nomad Food Truck, the ability to operate closer to the middle of the city on certain days.”
Currently, only one food truck will be there at a time per day. According to Harris, there will be a schedule posted online explaining which food truck will be available at the property on which days. “What I really want from the people,” said Harris, “Is for them to reach out and give me some feedback on their favorite food trucks in the area and surrounding area to give them a chance to come and serve Carrollton. If it is as much as a couple days a week to as little as one day a month, the people like variety, and this gives them the opportunity to have the option to dine whatever is being served that day.”
Harris hopes to add a vegetarian and/or vegan truck to give some alternative options, as well as a barbeque truck and any other type of food service that would provide some variety to the food truck court. The good thing is, the possibilities are endless. Harris is confident this addition will contribute greatly to the revitalization of the Bankhead corridor. “I’ve been heavily invested in the Bankhead corridor since I moved here almost a decade ago,” said Harris. “Most business corridors operate in renovation cycles, a build-up and then a decline. Bankhead has already had the decline, and I am excited to contribute to the revitalization of the corridor and the city in general. This will continue to add interest to the area and promote pedestrian traffic which the city wants as far as the overall look and feel of the city.”
Harris is also looking out for the environment with his new business endeavor. Most food trucks operate on a generator for their heating, cooling and stovetop systems, but he is having a direct power line installed so the trucks do not have to burn gas to fuel their generator. “A generator burning for 12 hours a day will send off a lot of emissions, so this is just one other thing to make the property more sustainable,” said Harris.
Stay tuned for the opening of the Carrollton Food Truck Court! Any feedback on what food truck you would like to see in the court can be sent directly to Brent at [email protected].
