OLD ORCHARD BEACH  — The town has implemented a moratorium on food trucks. 

The Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday night, with councilor Shawn O’Neill absent, to enforce a moratorium on mobile food businesses. The moratorium will last 60 days, unless the Town Council choses to overturn it at an earlier date.

Town officials say the moratorium will give them time to create a clearer definition of food trucks and how they fit in with the town’s zoning.

The question of food trucks in the downtown came up at a July 18 town council meeting, when local businesswoman Lisa Gribbin went before the Town Council on behalf of two food truck businesses seeking business licenses to operate on her property.

The town council denied the business licenses, stating the town does not allow food trucks to operate in the downtown. 

Town ordinance allows food stands in the downtown area between the beach and Milliken and First Streets. 

Gribbin said she had read the town ordinance and believed that food trucks fell under the category of food stands. She thought food trucks were allowed in the downtown and was not told otherwise by the code enforcement and planning department staff.

O’Neill apologized that she had gotten so far along in the permitting process, but said food trucks were not food stands, and were not allowed to operate in the downtown.

According to written Town Council commentary, town planner Jeffrey Hinderliter has suggested the town consider creating identifying food trucks as a specific land use and coming up with a definition for food trucks, adjusting the definition of food stands so that food trucks are excluded, and considering rules for food trucks at special events.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.