Food Trailer Plans Put in Park
A couple's plan to convert farmhouses at the intersection of Forest Home and Morgan avenues into a catering office with the potential to open an outdoor restaurant is on hold.
Historic, unused farmhouses at the corner of Forest Home and Morgan avenues will remain just that – unused – at least for now.
With questions about parking and the potentially unsightliness of two large food wagons being parked on-site going unanswered, the City of Greenfield decided to forgo any immediate action on Craig and Deborah Mengeling’s special use permit request to use at least one of the farmhouses as a food catering office.
The Mengelings also hoped to use the location as a spot to park their two food service trucks, and use part of the farmhouse at 5225 W. Forest Home Ave. as a living space. In addition, another portion of the lot would potentially be used to sell antiques and crafts.
At a Common Council meeting Sept. 18, alderpersons discussed concealing the food wagons with 8-12-foot fences, but there were concerns how such structures would fit in with the historic sense of the building. The Mengelings said it was important to them to preserve the
Mengeling told the city’s Plan Commission over the summer he hoped a second phase of the project would include an outdoor garden restaurant with 50-60 seats and grills to be used for community-style fish boils and chicken dinners.
Parking, however, at the location is limited and no plans have been set to meet the city’s minimum parking requirements.
Dr. James Rydlewicz, representing the Milwaukee Clinic of Orthopedic Surgery across the street at 5233 W. Morgan Ave. questioned the visual appeal of parking the trailers on site in plain site.
The Mengelings are expected to come back to the city with another proposal that could come in front of the Common Council in October.
Ann
4:40 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
OMG - this common council needs to get their heads examined - like they care about appearance? Lets see - the Diamond Jims truck was parked in city owned grass property just south of forest home on 68th St for over a month - now it is parked on the grass just east of the Tower Restrauant on Forest Home. Go down 68th st south of forest home and you will find cars parked on grass, too many cars in driveways, go down coldsprint east of 68th you have uncut grass - and that is just within less than a mile - they create all these laws/rules but nothing is ever inforced.
Lee
12:42 pm on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
I agree Ann. Why are these trucks allowed to be parked there. They are unsightly and I thought the original agreement was to have these food trucks parked in a sheltered area. It appears this side of Greenfield is in the "anything goes" area of the city.