BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL APPROVES REQUEST FOR FOOD TRUCK PARK
The Brenham City Council has cleared the path ahead for the city’s first food truck park.
Brenham City Council on Thursday to review
his plans for the Brookside Food Truck Park
at the corner of North Park Street and
Brookside Drive.
The council voted today (Thursday) to approve a specific use permit requested by Michael Ancone to build the Brookside Food Truck Park at the southeast corner of North Park Street and Brookside Drive, across from Hohlt Park.
Plans include pad sites for eight food trucks, restrooms, picnic tables, walking trails connecting to Hohlt Park, an ice kiosk, 48 off-street parking spaces and a retail/office space.
This is the first food truck park approved by the city since it first adopted an ordinance in November 2021 allowing food truck parks via specific use permit in commercial zoning districts B-1 through B-4.
Park at the corner of North Park Street and
Brookside Drive.
(courtesy All Things Construction)
The council agreed with most of the conditions laid out by city staff and the Brenham Planning and Zoning Commission prior to approval. Those include building a screening fence or hedge at least six feet tall along the east property line; ensuring lights are downcast and directed away from residential properties; providing additional landscaping along North Park Street between the parking lot and the right-of-way; providing a pedestrian traffic plan and putting in oversized vehicle parking for vans and small school buses; and replatting the two lots that make up the site into one lot.
The only change made to the conditions was for the size of the proposed retail building. Initial designs requested a size of up to 7,500 square feet, but they only accommodated 39 parking spaces, so city staff asked to reduce the size to no more than 5,000 square feet. However, after Ancone increased the amount of parking spaces to 48 in the latest concepts, the council felt comfortable in allowing the limit to be the original 7,500 square feet.
between Hohlt Park and the Brookside Food Truck
Park.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
One point of discussion from the council was the safety of pedestrians walking over to the food truck park from Hohlt Park. Councilmember Shannan Canales said she wants to talk to TxDOT about getting a crosswalk or a speed reduction for that stretch of North Park Street. City of Brenham Project Planner Shauna Laauwe said the developer has plans to make a walkway underneath North Park Street, near where it bridges over Little Sandy Creek, but those improvements might take several years to complete.
Councilmember Leah Cook asked if Ancone’s plan was to have permanent or semi-permanent food trucks versus ones that come and go, to which he replied that his hope is to give food trucks a home they can stay at. She also asked if he intended to make the food trucks sign lease agreements with him, and he said he would most likely do six-month agreements.
All councilmembers voted in favor of the food truck park, although Councilmember Clint Kolby abstained due to business interests. The vote came after a public hearing with no comments from the general public. Laauwe said the overall feedback has “pretty much been even” in terms of approval and opposition.
A date for substantial completion of the park was not provided. Discussion was had, though, about the possibility of some aspects of the project coming to fruition sooner than others. Laauwe said the main pieces are the parking, spots for the food trucks, picnic tables, restrooms and a retention pond. Ancone said the retail/office space is “maybe phase three down the road.”
Also at today’s meeting, the council:
- Approved a change order to the service agreement with Bassco Services, Inc. related to the design, construction and installation of the fuel farm at the Brenham Municipal Airport. City staff said the change order was mainly for additional time and services provided by Bassco to ensure the fuel farm and fuel quality was ready for service.
- Held executive session discussion regarding the purchase of critical software infrastructure related to cybersecurity threats. Afterwards, the council voted to approve an agreement with CDWG in the amount of $73,289 related to information technology software.
- Met in executive session to receive an update on Aviators Plus’ lawsuit against the city (Aviators Plus, LLC v. City of Brenham; Cause No. 37896, 21st Judicial District Court, Washington County) and continued discussion regarding the transition to a new city manager. Current City Manager Carolyn Miller plans to retire in March. No action was slated to be taken.
Click here to view the agenda packet for Thursday's meeting.
Such a nice subdivision. Was to be our last home .
Now ruined . A year round festival
Noise, traffic, lights
Sad
They should have put a Sonic there !!
Angie There is still a Lot available on Scenic Drive ( The second Entrance to the subdivision) That would be a Great place for a Sonic It would do really well there.
I love the idea of having some fast food joints over in that area. Usually I eat at Shake Shack, Panda Express, In N Out, Cabo Bob’s, and a few other spots. Even something like Halal Guys or the new CosMc’s would go over well. Let’s all go in together and open “fast food row”. Oh and also having something like a Walmart Neighborhood Market or even an Aldi would be nice for some small grocery store shopping options.
We are in great need for a 2nd Sonic in that part of town. The one on South Day Street stays full all the time.
All the food truck locations I have seen in other city’s look like a junk yard for old run-down trucks. I’m sure this will turn out the same way. Feel bad for the neighborhood. Canales and Cook both should have abstained from the vote also.
Who going to pay for the path under the highway. That is own by the state of Texas so I guess we Texas tax payers will pay for it and every bi rain we be redoing it all
Over. They put the rocks undernyamd on the sides of it couple of years ago to stop the erosion. The main thing the developer doesn’t own the property and has the right to build something under the bridge
I bet if the walk way was built they would have to rebuild it after this rain and runoff
Wow now they thinking of puttting a crosswalk on a truck route around brenham. And a walk way under the bridge. First big rain it will wash away So what about the concession stand on holt park that people run durning the tournaments or the Washington county little league sports that play there
Cool, a permanent location for carnival food stands at the entrance to scenic estates. Great job city planners, thinking out of the box. Is this property use really allowed in a B-1 district? City council just blindly approves another great idea.