We have a similar situation here in Charlotte. The city has turned over the Uptown area to a group called Center City Partners. They control everything from parades, civic celebrations, street fairs and of course the vending carts. We have an inline Vienna joint and decided to add a cart to place on the street and work the Panther football games.
I read all the regulations, especially the one that says that the assignment season runs from March to March and assignments are made after CCP approves the cart and then sends it to the city manager's office for final approval. Sites previously assigned can stay assigned as long as the vendor has followed the rules and paid their $150 per year.
The rules also say that if an application is received after March, the city manager can approve the permit and empty sites will be assigned on a first-come-first-served basis. I checked the push-cart section, we ordered a cart and it was inspected and passed by the Health Department. Sounds like we're ready to go, huh?
I contact CCP to send in our permit and am told that they only accept the apps in March, (contrary to what the rules say). Also, the city manager has 45 days to approve or disapprove the app. That means that we could have to wait until May for final approval.
Of course the cart program manager at CCP is about as easy to contact as Osama Bin Laden. I sent some e-mails and left several voice mails regarding this, to the point I'm just ignored now. I was told to just find a spot on private property for our cart until next March or whenever. Ever try to find a decent spot on private property in a large city's Uptown (downtown) area? By the way, the carts are only allowed on Tryon street for about 8 blocks and a cross street, Trade, for 2 blocks.
So, do I go directly to the city manager's office and raise hell and risk getting the folks at CCP pissed off at me and throwing up insurmountable roadblocks and playing the delay game to my ever getting a decent spot? I did work out something with a parking lot for the remaining Panther games (6), but that's about it as of now.
Bank of America has a plaza they allow vendors to use, but they don't really know if the spot I requested is handled by their building manager or CCP, according to the receptionist. They wouldn't give me the name of the building manager because that's "confidential information." My request and phone number would be passed on to the building manager and I'll be contacted shortly (that was 2 weeks ago).
Appears that people that receive a government or guaranteed paycheck and deal with the public could care less about someone trying to make a living. CCP could easily accept my application and forward it to the city manager's office as the rules say, but because they don't feel like dealing with it right now, they want to put me off to March and possibly May. We'd accept even a crappy spot to make a few bucks for awhile. Even have a person lined up willing to work the cart.
The other bad thing about this system is that once a vendor has a good spot, there are no requirements as to how often it has to be used, except if they don't show up for 30 days, they can lose their spot (no one keeps track). So consequently, there are great spots that are reserved for $150 per year and are hardly or never used, one right on the central corner of the Uptown area.
So, we'll keep plugging away to find a site on private property somewhere. Oh yea, I almost forgot. The vendor manager at CCP told me earlier that I could find a spot that someone may share with me until March. I found 2 vendors willing to graciously let me use their spot occasionally when they're not there. The vendor manager says that's fine, but now says I can't do it until I have their permit which I can't apply for until March! Talk about double-speak. Humbug.
