Baltimore City has passed food truck legislation that will help the industry expand.

The bill, passed on June 9 by the City Council, will create new zones for food trucks. However, those zones have not been identified yet.

Peter Greene, who co-owns the GrrChe food truck with his wife, Anne, supports the new legislation, but is disappointed that the 300-foot rule was not eliminated. The rule states that food trucks cannot be within 300 feet of a restaurant establishment.

“The only hold up I ever had was the 300-foot rule, which says we can’t do business within 300 feet of a brick-and-mortar restaurant because they say we are creating unfair competition,” Greene says. “But if I wanted to open a restaurant next to an existing restaurant, that is okay. It just didn’t add up to me.”

As part of the expansion, the food trucks will be allowed to operate on streets across Charm City and they’ll also be able to participate in farmers’ markets.

“Our local industry as a whole should benefit from the new zones as they are supposed to be set up in some areas we have not been able to expand into,” Greene says.

Why not celebrate the news by attending some events? Food truck festivals are happening throughout the summer.

The Gathering is holding a food truck festival on Friday at the Du Burns Arena in Canton and another event on June 27 at McHenry Row in Locust Point. Both events will take place from 5-10 p.m.

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