GLENDALE : Street Vendor Plan Hearings Scheduled

City officials have set public hearing dates for a proposal that would encourage street vendors to set up their carts and wares in private plazas and courtyards and on the City Hall campus.

The proposal, an amendment to current city code regulating outdoor sales, does not encourage vendors on public sidewalks, said John McKenna, director of planning.

Public hearings on the amendment are set June 13 before the Planning Commission, and on June 28 before the City Council. City officials also plan to meet with the Glendale Chamber of Commerce and business representatives to discuss the proposal.

The plan, which encourages outdoor vending to draw employees out of their offices, is in stark contrast to policies in other San Fernando Valley cities where there has been long-running debate about street vending.

Burbank banned pushcart vendors last spring and authorized police to confiscate the carts if vendors violated the ban, saying street vendors created an image and enforcement problem.

Last fall, the Los Angeles County Health Department confiscated cooking equipment and other paraphernalia from illegal street vendors in Panorama City and Van Nuys.

Glendale’s proposal would require owners of free-standing carts carrying food or newspapers to receive permission from private plaza owners to set up their wares on that site.

Vendors would need to apply to the city for a permit to operate within a private plaza or on Civic Center property.

Although some city officials have expressed concern about enforcing the amendment, McKenna said private property owners can adequately police and maintain carts operating on private plaza sites.

He said the outdoor vendors should not present serious competition for indoor retailers, but rather provide a means to encourage people to spend more time on public sidewalks.

If approved by the council, the amendment has a one-year time limit to allow officials to review the new outdoor sales policy.