A collection of food trucks are parked at Ibarra’s Commissary, Downtown, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019. WADE VANDERVORT
Published Wednesday, March 3, 2021 | 1:18 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, March 3, 2021 | 4:59 p.m.
The Las Vegas City Council denied a proposal for a food truck court in the Arts District after nearby business owners complained about the plan.
The food court, proposed by property owner Main Street Investments II, would have been on undeveloped property at Casino Center Boulevard and South Main Street.
Tom Letizia, a spokesman for Main Street Investments, said the company was disappointed but would "continue to explore the avenues the council has suggested in order to move this item forward in the very near future."
The company still has "a great interest in serving this need of a food truck lot that would serve residents, businesses, and food truck operators looking to make a living," Letizia said in a statement.
Main Street Investments was seeking waivers to leave the site unpaved with limited landscaping. It also wanted waivers for requirements for plumbing, electricity and water services.
“We are asking for an opportunity to turn an empty lot that has sat vacant and fenced in for many years into a new destination in the Downtown Arts District,” the property owner said in a letter in November to the city’s Planning Department.
City staff recommended the council deny the project because it was not in line with goals for developing the Arts District, which include amenities like shade structures and seating. Councilman Cedric Crear criticized the proposal, saying it didn’t seem well thought out.
Councilwoman Michele Fiore also spoke against the food court, saying it would undermine restaurants in the area.
Michael Park of Las Vegas opposed the plan in a letter to the city, saying food trucks would steal customers from nearby restaurants.
“A food truck of the kind proposed is parasitic on the existing businesses,” Park wrote.
Kristen Corral, owner of the Tacotarian restaurant on Casino Center Boulevard, was concerned the food court would not have bathrooms and customers would wander into surrounding businesses to use the facilities.
“This food court also does not go with the upscale aesthetic we are currently working toward,” she said in a letter.
Main Street Investments made changes to the plan in response to some of the complaints, including an agreement for customers to use bathrooms at a nearby business.
Steve Kestler of Las Vegas sent a letter to the city in support of the project, saying it would help bolster the food truck industry.
Jonathan Ibarra, owner of Ibarra’s Food Truck Builders, said the project would create more diversity in the Arts District, offering customers food from different cultures.
Dan Lovell, who owns Empire Law Group, said the empty lot next to his office is an eyesore and that he supported turning it into a food court.
