The mobile food vendor issue is inching its way up the Coast.
With both Gibsons and Sechelt in the works of examining its vendor rules and regulations, Pender Harbour is now following suit.
The current Pender Harbour bylaw allows for mobile vendors to operate in a wide number of places with few restrictions.
At the Sunshine Coast Regional District's (SCRD) planning and development committee meeting June 9, manager of planning and development Mark McMullen expressed concerns over the lack of regulations. He cited the need to provide definitions of "retail" and "restaurant" uses, but added mobile food vending "is not something we [SCRD] want to stop."
Area A director Eric Graham also felt a review was in order, mainly due to concerns regarding a mobile vendor doing business at the Egmont Heritage Centre.
Additionally, Graham said he was concerned about competition between mobile food vendors and established businesses.
"You've got to be careful with unfairness. You've got private businesses that are located in a certain spot and then a mobile stand that is in direct competition to them can plonk themselves in a commercial lot next door to it with the owner's permission and go into direct competition," he said.
Fringe area agreements
SCRD staff presented the committee with a discussion paper on fringe area agreements for collaborative planning between municipalities and electoral areas.
The report, as explained by McMullen, allows the committee to open the door for the process and instruct staff on how to proceed should the committee want a draft plan drawn up.
McMullen further explained that should a draft be required, the committee would need to identify various issues to focus on, such as which municipal governments should participate, how far the agreement should reach into each jurisdiction, and what areas of planning should be included.
Since March, the issue of planning along fringes of municipalities and adjacent rural areas has risen, with the recent revised Gospel Rock neighbourhood plan being referred to the SCRD.
After a lengthy discussion, the committee made a motion for staff to converse with other municipal staff members, gather further information on potential benefits for collaboration on fringe area agreements and report back in July.
