The Coast News, Aug. 24, 2012

Page 1

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94

THE COAST NEWS

.com

MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

VOL. 26, NO. 32

AUG. 24, 2012

Council discusses new projects

THISWEEK

By Bianca Kaplanek

The Black Sheep getting a percentage of sales, she said. Henderson noted she’d heard whisperings that nearby restaurants were unhappy with the food trucks, but none had contacted her directly. On the other hand, she believes the event, which started with four food trucks and now includes six, has been well received by foodies thus far. Henderson hopes more people will weigh in on the food trucks at The Black Sheep. “We’re looking for feedback,” Henderson said. We want to sit down with restaurant owners and talk to the community. If this is something that people believe is positive, then we’re happy to continue. If people largely have negative opinions, we want to hear and we’ll reconsider what we’re doing.” She may not be able to count on support from downtown restaurants. Part of the restaurants’ letter to DEMA states: “The food trucks are taking away business from

DEL MAR — With several projects on their must-do list either under way or already completed, council members discussed upcoming priorities at the Aug. 20 meeting. Topping the list were building a parking structure and developing the City Hall site, which Mayor Carl Hilliard saw as potential moneymakers. “My priorities would be to focus on those items where there’s opportunities to create revenue streams,” he said. “There’s never been a better time to borrow money.” With the city’s high credit rating and construction costs and interest rates at historically low levels, he said Del Mar is in “excellent condition” to accomplish those goals. Councilman Don Mosier agreed now is a good time to begin those projects, especially since they could take several years to complete. “They need to get started now,” he said. “I think we have a window of opportunity that will close at some point. “We’re going to watch that opportunity go away if we slow down too much,” Mosier said, adding that the city should consider working with private groups to bring those projects to fruition. “We need a good public/private partnership that works for both parties,”he said. “The city is in a position to assume a fair amount of risk, but we should temper that risk by … sharing investment with private partners.” He said residents have expressed interest in creating more public gathering places and art spaces. “People are interested in bringing this kind of character to Del Mar,” he said. “They need to be out assembling groups who can fund this and be partners with the city.” Councilman Mark Filanc, president of J.R. Filanc Construction Company, agreed those projects are needed

TURN TO TRUCKS ON A24

TURN TO PROJECTS ON A24

OLYMPIC WELCOME

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Rachel Buehler of the Women’s U.S. Soccer team receives honors from the city she A7 grew up in.

INSIDE TWO SECTIONS, 56 PAGES

Arts & Entertainment . . A8 Camp Pendleton News . . B15 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B24 Coastal Cosmos . . . . . . A13 Comics & Puzzles . . . . . B23 Hit the Road . . . . . . . . . A10 Food & Wine . . . . . . . . . A16 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . A20 Marketplace News . . . . A18 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . A22 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . B3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A11 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A8

HOW TO REACH US (760) 436-9737 CALENDAR SECTION: calendar@coastnewsgroup.com COMMUNITY NEWS: community@coastnewsgroup.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: letters@coastnewsgroup.com

JUST DROPPING IN Bodysurfers from around the world compete in the 36th annual World Bodysurfing Championships in Oceanside last weekend. With each heat lasting 15 minutes, bodysurfers vied for waves in the hopes of being crowned world champion. Top: Alex Martenka competes in the first round of the championships Aug. 18. Photo by Daniel Knighton

Restaurants want to tap brakes on food trucks in Encinitas By Jared Whitlock

ENCINITAS — A food fight may be brewing in downtown Encinitas. More than 20 brick-andmortar restaurants recently signed a letter addressed to the Downtown Encinitas Merchants Association (DEMA) expressing their concerns about a weekly gathering of mobile food trucks. Some of the restaurants say the food trucks are unfair because they siphon customers and eat away at their profits. The Black Sheep, a yarn shop located off of Coast Highway 101, began hosting food trucks earlier this month in its parking lot. Many residents have flocked to the event, known as “Food Truck Fridays,” every Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. Phillip Drew, the coowner of Encinitas Pizza Company, inked his restaurant’s name to the letter that went to DEMA. Drew said he’s conflicted by the food trucks at The Black Sheep. “I’m pro business and respect The Black Sheep for

Residents enjoy a food truck gathering at The Black Sheep’s parking lot. Restaurants have stated they’re concerned about the food trucks. Photo courtesy of Tom Henderson

doing what they have to in order to survive,” Drew said. “At the same time, we’re a new business that’s careful with every penny. So we’re watching the situation.” Even though he’s torn, he called talk of any ordinances or bans on food trucks “premature.” “My first inclination isn’t that ordinances solve things,” Drew said. “It’s best to talk

through issues. You have to ask if the food trucks have an unfair advantage. The jury is still out for me, but it’s fair to look at their impact.” Karen Henderson, who has owned The Black Sheep for more than 30 years, said she didn’t intend to create any kind of controversy. The food trucks are allowed to operate on her parking lot once a week in exchange for


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.