Proposal Would Allow Food Trucks To Return To W. Capitol Drive

File photo of food trucks parked on N. Water Street in 2023. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Major changes are coming to where and how food trucks can park on W. Capitol Drive on Milwaukee’s far northwest side.

A proposal pending before the Common Council would create designated spots for approved operators on W. Capitol Drive between N. 76th Street and N. Mayfair Road., an approximately two-mile-long stretch.

It would reverse an outright ban that went into effect on March 16.

“Biggest concern here was safety,” said area Alderman Lamont Westmoreland in discussing the proposal with the Public Safety & Health Committee Thursday. “A lot of it [was] where the food trucks were positioned caused safety issues, mainly at the shopping center where the food trucks had congregated on 76th and Capitol.”

He said the food trucks were creating issues for drivers leaving businesses. “A lot of cars leaving that area could not see past the food trucks, which caused a safety issue on the most dangerous street in the entire state,” said the alderman.

But there is also an issue of oil and debris being left behind.

“The tough part is there was no way to hold anybody responsible because it’s a free-for-all over there,” said the alderman.

The proposal is the first new zone to be created after council members Jonathan Brostoff and JoCasta Zamarripa led the city last spring in creating a new food truck regulatory framework.

Their framework was designed to address the streets around the Water Street bar district and Burnham Park and to be repeatable elsewhere. Westmoreland’s proposal follows the Burnham Park model of a “Type 2” density-restricted zone with assigned slots for specific operators.

“We are determining where these slots are going to be,” said Westmoreland on Thursday.

The alderman said the slots would not be located in front of existing food businesses. “When they struggle, they don’t have four wheels to pick up and drive to the next hot spot,” said Westmoreland.

The committee unanimously endorsed the proposal without debate. The full council is to review the proposal on April 9.

Westmoreland has carved out a niche on the Common Council for his focus on traffic safety, including testifying before the Wisconsin State Senate.

Without debate, the full council approved the initial ban on Feb. 27.

The food truck ban, Westmoreland, told Urban Milwaukee, is not related to a high-speed driver crashing into a parked food truck in late February. That crash did occur on Capitol Drive, but many miles to the east of the impacted area.

An existing food truck ban for W. Capitol Drive between W. Fond du Lac Ave. and N. 76th Street would be maintained. The area is not in Westmoreland’s council district.

Related Legislation: File 231874, File 231595