Horticulture and Forestry Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2012 02 02

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New York City food trucks in parks WWW.NRPA.ORG will be directed to the park where the money was generated. "In the past, the restrictions on where revenue goes have had a negative effect on the idea of bring- ing businesses into the parks," he says. Several years ago, though, when the friends group for Philadelphia's most prominent neighborhood park, Ritten- house Square, brought up the idea of a food concession, the pushback was se- vere. Some carped about commercializ- ing the space, others about threatening the business of surrounding restaurants. San Francisco has faced the issue, too, par- ticularly in Dolo- res Park, which Ginsburg calls a "ground zero of angst." Last year, angry protesters caused a small coffeehouse chain to shelve plans for a vending trailer, while this year con- troversy erupted over the presence of a taco truck. "There're unpermitted ven- dors in the park all the time," Ginsburg says. "If food and drink are being sold there, we'd like to ensure that it's healthy and safe. As for the other surrounding businesses, it's been widely demonstrat- ed that more choices simply bring more people. It's good for everyone." Add in the other attendant hassles cited by park officials— tangled licensing agree- ments that can contradict other bureaucrat- ic players like city streets departments and the additional labor and expense involved with maintenance of vending sites —and the practical value of such amenities might windup negligible at best. But, the emotional part of the equation is powerful. "We need creative ideas that enhance the park experience," says Gins- burg, "and food makes sense —food and parks go together. And if there's anything that San Franciscans are more passionate about than their parks, it's their food." • JOANN GRECO is a freelance writer in Philadelphia who publishes an online magazine, The City Traveler. DECEMBER [Ull Parks & Recreation 71