Commission debates ban on on-site food prep at College Square; seeks compromise before vote

The commission engaged in a lengthy debate over proposed changes to the sidewalk/vendor ordinance that would prohibit on-site food preparation and cooking at College Square while permitting vending in other downtown locations and during permitted special events.

Public comment from a longtime vendor, Ned King (speaker 24), warned that eliminating on-site food at College Square would effectively remove a 23-year small business and urged targeted enforcement rather than a blanket ban. David Lin (speaker 25), representing the Athens Downtown Development Authority, argued the change was necessary to prevent recurring grease damage to recently renovated sidewalks and to avoid unfair competition with brick-and-mortar restaurants.

Commissioners voiced competing priorities: some favored preserving downtown vibrancy and tweaking definitions to avoid banning common low-impact vendors (Commissioner Link, speaker 10), while others supported restricting cooking at College Square to protect the new public-space investment (Commissioner Hamby, speaker 4; Commissioner Davenport, speaker 7). Several commissioners suggested compromises — limiting grease-producing cooking, allowing prepackaged foods, using special-event permits for temporary exceptions, imposing stricter permitting/enforcement, or grandfathering historic vendors. Commissioner Johnson (speaker 5) pressed for transparency about whether staff or an outside entity initiated the ordinance changes and for documentation of any enforcement complaints that led to the proposal. Given the number of questions, the mayor removed the item from consent so staff can provide ordinance language, enforcement history, and options before the Oct. 6 vote.