Downtown restaurant asks council to clarify city code to allow licensed beverage trucks at events
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Summary
A downtown restaurant owner asked the council to amend city ordinances so licensed beverage trucks can operate in the entertainment district and to allow mobile vendors at city‑permitted festivals despite the 300‑foot proximity rule to churches, schools and playgrounds.
Andres Valenzuela, co‑owner of the Drunken Weevil downtown, asked the Enterprise City Council Sept. 16 to amend local ordinances to align with Alabama law and to permit licensed beverage trucks at entertainment‑district events.
Valenzuela said Alabama Code (chapter 28‑3A‑17.2) already permits licensed food and beverage trucks in entertainment districts when properly licensed, but he argued that the city code lacks clarity about whether beverage trucks may sell alcoholic beverages within the entertainment district. He asked the council to add explicit language to section 4‑71 of the city code allowing licensed beverage trucks to operate under the same safeguards that apply to brick‑and‑mortar establishments (approved containers, hours of sale and approved locations).
He also asked the council to amend the city’s 300‑foot distance restriction from churches, schools, playgrounds and the YMCA (Appendix A, Article 11, Section 110701), to allow a narrow exception for city‑permitted public events. Valenzuela said the rule currently blocks beverage trucks from participating at festivals such as the Halloween event at Johnny Henderson Park and other city‑sanctioned activities because of adjacent playgrounds or nearby churches.
Valenzuela provided council members with printed proposed language and a map of downtown restaurants and bars. He also said his group will pursue state‑level clarifications to the statutory definition of a beverage truck.
Council response: Members thanked him for the materials; no formal action or public hearing was scheduled that night. Valenzuela asked the council to consider adopting local ordinance changes and to support any needed state legislative adjustments.
Ending: Staff did not indicate a timeline for ordinance edits; the requests will require legal review and possible drafting before any public hearing or vote.