Politics & Government
Lunchtime in Fairfax Parks Offers New Food Truck Options for Reston
The Fairfax County Park Authority has approved five food trucks to vend at six parks - including Lake Fairfax and Baron Cameron.
Visitors to Reston's Lake Fairfax Park and Baron Cameron Park can now find a new vehicle parked among the minivans full of soccer players and the SUvs full of Water Mine goers.
Food trucks in Fairfax County parks were given the go-ahead by the Fairfax County Park Authority in June, and so far Ducky’s Grub (Lake Fairfax) and Red Bone Fusion Caribbean Catering (Baron Cameron) have been offering up lunchtime options in Reston.
Trucks in the parks are part of a new pilot program to bring new, exciting and healthier options to Fairfax County parks. The five trucks, which serve spins on barbecue, paninis and fusion dishes, have been operating for a couple of weeks at six county parks.
The program, which was launched in June, will bring vendors to a total of nine county parks.
A seventh application is being processed, and officials are still accepting applications for two other parks.Fairfax County doesn’t have specific regulations on food trucks, but vendors cannot park vehicles on any street in a business district to sell merchandise.
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These zoning requirements have caused problems for both vendors and the county, especially in the Tysons area, where there have been a number of disputes over parking tickets in the last year.
Last month, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors added food truck regulations to a list of 19 new zoning amendments for staff to work on.
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“[Vendors are] interested in working in Fairfax County and we’re interested in having them,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova said at the time. “We can accommodate food trucks in a way that is safe and also is not creating an issue regarding parking.”
Supervisors are committed to making the most of food trucks in the county, but they need to figure out the zoning first, they said.
“This is an opportunity for revitalizing communities,” Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) said.
Several food trucks are regulars in Reston. Red Hook Lobster Pound can be found in office parks here several times a week, along with The Bratwurst King at the TopDogTruck
As the popularity of food trucks has boomed in Washington, DC in recent years, other jurisdictions have started to figure out how best to bring food trucks to their own streets.
The City of Alexandria tabled a proposal for food trucks in early June, citing a need for more time to consider the options.
For now, Fairfax County has the following food trucks on contracts through Dec. 31, 2013.
Vendors are allowed to make their own hours of operation within the hours parks are open.
Here is what you can find elsewhere in the county parks:
Arrowbrook Park – Still accepting applications
Mason District Park – La Clicenita
Rolling Valley West Park – Still accepting applications
Wakefield Park – Application pending and selection process is underway
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