Committee recommends re‑bidding most downtown vendor spaces, removes two King Street spots

The Charleston City Traffic and Transportation Committee voted to recommend that the city put most downtown street‑vending spaces back out to bid, remove two vendor sites on King Street and forward franchise agreements with new safety and operational rules to Ways and Means and City Council in July.

City staff member Miss Cruthers told the committee the request is not an amendment to the city’s ordinance but an interim operational step while a longer ordinance rewrite proceeds. "We currently have 10 spots approved as they are right now on a first come first‑serve basis... what we are asking is to reduce it down to eight," she said, citing conflicts between vendors and calls to police that have consumed staff time.

The proposal would remove two vendor locations on King Street (referred to in the presentation as the King/Queen and King/Princess corners) because those spots sit in front of brick‑and‑mortar storefronts and create pedestrian‑flow and safety issues, staff said. Remaining approved spaces would be put out to bid under franchise agreements that incorporate requirements staff plan to carry forward into the full ordinance rewrite.

Among the franchise terms outlined by staff: vendors may not operate during permitted events or emergencies (for example, Second Sunday or parades); vending units must have lockable wheels; signage and decorations must meet storefront standards and be attached to the vending unit; tents, umbrellas and any coverings must be secured to the unit so they can be moved quickly in an emergency; units must be positioned so customers remain on the sidewalk; and vendors may not use generators, sound equipment, open flames or external electricity. "The vending unit ... needs to have wheels that are lockable," Miss Cruthers said, explaining the rules are intended to allow staff or responders to move units in an emergency.

Staff described the bidding mechanics as annual franchise bids with minimums calculated from 2018 amounts adjusted for inflation; the staff-proposed ranges discussed at the meeting were roughly $1,600 to $3,300 per year. Staff also recalled that when spaces were last offered in 2018 one corner space drew a $20,000 bid; that particular location is no longer part of the available roster, staff said.

Staff said winning a bid grants exclusive rights to a specific vendor space; if a bid winner does not use the space it remains reserved and, if no bid is received for a space, that space will be removed from the roster and not available on a first‑come, first‑served basis.

Committee members asked how the city will manage problem spots in the interim before franchise awards are made; staff said the process will be advanced as quickly as possible but did not adopt new temporary enforcement rules during the meeting. Members also flagged concerns about food trucks and parking‑space sales on Upper King Street; staff and legal said distinguishing fixed vendor franchises from food‑truck or parking issues is part of the larger ordinance rewrite and will be addressed separately.

The committee was also told the franchise agreements will require public‑liability insurance for vendors. Miss Cruthers framed the approach as a way to provide near‑term operational control while the fuller ordinance revision moves through the council process.

A motion to combine the map rewrite and the franchise‑recommendation referral passed; the committee chair called the vote in favor and the items will go to Ways and Means and City Council in July. The committee adjourned after announcing a TNT meeting could be scheduled the same day if additional internal amendments are needed.

What happens next: the staff timetable discussed at the meeting will be shifted so Ways and Means can consider the franchise packet in July; the fuller ordinance rewrite and separate work on food‑truck/parking rules will continue on a longer schedule.