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Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Food truck trailer park planned for Lower Greenville
Airstreams!
Photo by Sarah Blaskovich
The mock-up reminds of us Torchy's Trailer Park in Austin.
DALLAS — At a press conference Tuesday morning to unveil the plans to make Lower Greenville Avenue more walkable, one speaker dropped a juicy bit of news: He wants to create a trailer park on the site of the former Arcadia, with six Airstream trailers that will become food trucks.
Jonathon Hetzel of Madison Partners (who said he was speaking on behalf of the Reese family, who owns the site), said the one-acre “urban food park” is inspired by Austin food trucks and trailer parks. He said he couldn't reveal which restaurants would take up in the Airstreams but called it a “chef-driven concept.”
“There are lots [of restaurants] interested; none I can name,” Hetzel said.
Not surprisingly, permitting for food trucks is a problem in Dallas. Hetzel said getting a permit is “part of the issue” before the project is finalized.
Hetzel met with Austin city staff and made copies of Austin ordinances to see how Dallas might best assign permits for the food truck park.
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Vote: Name the best burger in DFW
null2540, now! I just updated the story with the Top 8. Start voting now!
Photos: Eating was no challenge at Taste Addison 2013
I would remove picture # 8.. It isn't flattering of the people or the food.
tkj, anonymous:
very cool. I live on Lower Greenville (not Lowest Greenville where this is planned) and I think that stretch of Greenville Ave needs a lot of help. I love the food trucks in Austin and it is about time Dallas gets with this trend. I thinks lowest greenville is a perfect spot and it will enhance the area and help our neighborhood get back on track as being one of the coolest, most eclectic neighborhoods in N Tx. I hope it all works out.
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lakewoodhobo, anonymous:
This might be the first actual "Better Block" built in Dallas. Way to go Angela Hunt!
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cowyob, anonymous:
Great idea! We have been waiting for Dallas to do something worthwhile. This will be quite an attraction!
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Sarah Blaskovich, staff:
I'm glad to see so much interest in the food truck trailer park. Does anyone think it isn't a good idea? Someone who shall not be named had this reaction to the story: "Great, so I can get mugged as I walk to my car while eating my trailor taco?"
I hadn't thought of it myself.
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Robert Kelly, verified:
there are more cops down there than anywhere else in Dallas I can think of. Chances are your all good.
I for one love the idea, and look forward to it.
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Scott, anonymous:
Put me down as a "bad idea" vote. Gourmet food trucks and carts evolved in cities with existing, robust food truck cultures at the lower end (primarily Mexican food--tacos, tortas, mariscos, etc.). The lower end markets evolved in response to specific city conditions, demographics, and regulations. Trying to reproduce the result without the underlying conditions that preceded it elsewhere seems like a hard row to hoe. It's easy to picture gourmet food trucks in Houston, because there are already scads of low-end food trucks in the city. Same thing with Oklahoma City, of all places. But Dallas? The conditions aren't right, on many levels.
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Travis Bush, verified:
So they will be existing restaurants having food trucks? If that is the case, it seems to defeat the purpose entirely.
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James Scott, verified:
I think I have thoughts along the same line with Scott. It certainly seems a little too artificial (inviting special select restaurants). To me, the freedom and creativity allowed in Austin for anyone to put themselves out there is what makes it great. Not to say that all the trailers are great, or that Dallas has to be more like Austin - just that a planned park with only a few being able to participate is defeating the concept a bit.
That being said, I understand that the ordinances in Dallas have been the prohibiting factor in allowing that organic entrepreneurial growth of trailers. If this can somehow be successful in getting off the ground, perhaps it would open the doors for more accessibility to others to get into the market through relaxed regulations.
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James Scott, verified:
Looks like it took me eight minutes to say what Travis said in two sentences.
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Robert Kelly, verified:
That is impressive James...
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Sarah Blaskovich, staff:
It also struck me as a very "un-Dallas" concept to make it a trailer park, and also to use that terminology. I guess it remains to be seen if "Dallas" folks (which I'm very unfairly stereotyping) will latch on to the idea.
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Scott, anonymous:
But it's a cute trailer park, Sarah, with landscaping, park benches, and picnic tables. Nothing slapdash or shoestring about it. And, from the looks of it, the "trailers" will circumvent regulations with respect to "mobile food establishments" by not being mobile food establishments. They're not conventional food trucks, carts, or trailers. They're small restaurants with no dine-in seating--basically, trailer-shaped kiosks. Ask Burguesa Burger how that worked out for them on Inwood and on Story Rd. (even though they received tons of favorable publicity and had the benefit, that these spots won't, of having drive-through service and convenient parking).
Never mind that it's not really a walking neighborhood. Never mind that there's not much population density there. Never mind that there are dozens of popular, established restaurants within a mile of the location. Never mind the thought of eating outside when the temperature is above 95, below 45, or it's raining. Never mind that Dallas culture is driven first and foremost not by coastal trends, but by convenience.
Let's just build it, so we can be like the cool kids. That attitude seems decidedly Dallas to me.
Maybe it'll work (I hope so, for the sake of the investors), but it doesn't look like an obvious winner.
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production9342, anonymous:
This will never happen..the City of Dallas HATES food trucks and all they represent. BAD IDEA...This will turn into a bunch od fast food/McDonalds / 7-11 crap food and not the vtal, robust foos trailers like you see in Austin,,,NEVER NEVER NEVER
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luniz, anonymous:
I totally agree with Scott. It's just too fake, like the Blue Collar bar or whatever. If it ever gets off the ground it'll be popular for a minute and then die. They'd be better off starting at the beginning (walkable, populated, active) and evolving rather than starting at the end and trying to work backwards. The whole concept though is very Dallas-ish, so maybe they should go for it after all.
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luniz, anonymous:
it sounds very similar in concept to Victory Park which is not a great success.
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Sarah Blaskovich, staff:
As an aside, the planned trailer park isn't a city of Dallas project. The city is using bond money for the Lower Greenville revitalization, but the trailer park itself is done by a private developer. The tie-in is just that the trailer park was presented at the same time as the revitalization, making it look like all one big project. My guess -- unverified as of yet -- is that the changes to Lower Greenville will be finished before the food truck trailer park.
So luniz, there is a chance the walkable vibe will come before the trailer parks, but I can't be sure yet.
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craiggger, anonymous:
A company in Denver, Timeless Travel Trailers, www.TimelessTravelTrailers.com, builds great looking Airstreams. The have turned them into food trailers, farmer's market veggie trailers, retail vending trailers and high end RVs. Beautiful work!
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relledge, anonymous:
This is a great idea I have Food Trucks ready to go check out Yum Yum Food Truck on FB we have Chefs on Food Trucks working downtown Ft Worth everyday and it is working great come check us out.
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Tyanna, anonymous:
Love the idea, the keys for me being the Airstreams, the restaurants participating and the offerings. Would be really cool if this were in walking distance to White Rock...just dreamin :-)
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saaphyriblue, anonymous:
I would love to be on greenville i have a ( 2011 8'6x28 ft custom trailer) hope to here from you soon.Very good idea
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sriley, anonymous:
I do have an Airstream in the works currently,but will probably stay miles away at events instead.It's a great idea but will end up being populated by an already existing food establishment which totally prevents anyone new ,eager,and innovative to be involved.I did read The Twisted Root was first to sign on.Another boring burger joint that has 2 locations already.Why not just do Mc and Burger King in the Airstream it's about the same idea.The thing that makes it cool is cutting edge street food only available there.
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SitizenKane, anonymous:
Food trucks are cool right now; but the concept will be corrupted by over regulation and corporate brands (like Twisted Root).
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melkalka, anonymous:
I lived in Austin for the past 4 years and I would love to see this development get approved. Also went to something like this in Miami, so cool. Brings all sorts of people together and hey, they don't have a dress code like half of the uppity d-bag places in Dallas do. I am all for this! Beats Taco Bell or some other crap chain restaurant.
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sm6095, anonymous:
What is the difference between a permanent trailer and a small restaurant? These small restaurants don't have parking, air conditioning and anything unique (recruiting local restaurants is redundant) Great idea, poor exection.
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KeepOurFreedoms, anonymous:
Isn't Food Truck another name for Roach Coach?
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What do you think?