COUNTY NEWS RELEASE
Proposed ordinance 02-320 will be presented before the Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commission on April 13 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. The ordinance was developed by the County’s Community Development Department (CDD) staff to support mobile food vending throughout Los Alamos County. Commissioners will vote whether to forward the ordinance to the County council on May 24, 2022, to be considered for adoption.
CDD officials explain that the Chapter 16 Development Code is silent on mobile food vending provisions in Los Alamos. Therefore, to support the 2016 Comprehensive Plan to diversify the economic base and promote growth in the downtown, while enhancing opportunities for local businesses as detailed in the 2022 Strategic Leadership Plan, staff set out to understand how mobile food vending or food trucks fit in the local business environment.
Staff met with the small business center on prospective new businesses, researched neighboring communities, sought community feedback through a food vending survey conducted in October through November 2021, and requested input from councilors at the February 8, 2022, County council meeting. What resulted is a draft ordinance that CDD staff indicates will facilitate the ability for mobile food vendors to get a license and operate in Los Alamos with guidelines that are favorable to brick and mortar food establishments and food trucks.
“This [ordinance] is a great opportunity to welcome a new set of entrepreneurs to the County that will offer our residents a greater variety of dining options and experiences,” said Community Development Director Paul Andrus.
Andrus encourages community members to provide public comment at the April 13 Planning and Zoning Commission. A copy of the proposed ordinance, agenda, presentation materials and information on joining the meeting via Zoom will be available by Friday, April 8 on the County’s Legistar website. To navigate on the web page to the meeting, CDD staff recommends interested individuals select “This Month” and “Planning and Zoning Commission” from the dropdown menus in the search feature. Questions may be directed to CDD at (505) 662-8120.