Greensburg council approved a strict ordinance regulating food trucks Monday, despite objections from local food truck owners.

“We felt in the end that we needed to protect our brick-and-mortar facilities,” said Mayor Robert Bell.

The ordinance states that food trucks can operate on city streets only from 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m.

The trucks can operate on private property outside these hours, but only if they are at least 500 feet from existing brick-and-mortar restaurants.

The distance restriction all but bans food trucks from private property in the city, while the fixed hours eliminate all but the late-night bar crowd, said Bobby Fry, who owns Swing Truck.

“It means we're forced to do all of the things that we're doing essentially in Hempfield,” he said.

Fry said he contacted city officials several times to set up a meeting to discuss the proposed ordinance and was rebuffed.

At Monday's meeting, he said restaurateurs and food truck owners should be working together to draw customers away from Hempfield's restaurants and into Greensburg.

“I like to say I see this like high school,” he said. “I'd like to see this as Greensburg versus Hempfield.”

Jason Kelly, a Greensburg attorney who said he is considering opening a food truck, told council that allowing trucks to operate would not endanger the local restaurants, but instead would contribute to a growing local food scene.

“It's an easy win for the city,” he said.

Adopting an ordinance for the purpose of protecting existing businesses is “unconstitutional,” he said. He asked council to delay the vote for a month to reconsider the ordinance.

Bell denied his request.

“We have spent a countless number of hours crafting this ordinance,” he said. “It may not be perfect, nothing is perfect, but this is what we think is fair.”

The law could be changed later, depending on public response to food trucks, said Councilman Randy Finfrock.

“The votes we take tonight are supposed to be starting points,” he said.

Council voted 4-0 in favor of the ordinance. Councilwoman Kathleen McCormick was not at the meeting.

Fry and Kelly said they would look at their options and continue to fight for food trucks in Greensburg.

“This will continue until I'm really out of the game,” Fry said.

In other business, council approved the site plan for a 14-unit apartment building on West Otterman Street, although several residents who live near the proposed development protested.

“It's basically just a cinder block building that's going to be three or four stories high and a blight on the whole neighborhood,” said Rick Noone, who lives nearby.

City officials have praised the proposed development as a breath of fresh air in a neighborhood that has long dealt with run-down properties.

Jackie Timko, who also lives near the proposed building, wanted to know why neighbors were not informed about the site plan before it was approved.

“Why didn't we, as residents of the neighborhood, get a letter?” she asked. “We were just ignored.”

Daniel Berkowitz, who is developing the apartment building, said he will work with neighbors to address their concerns, but he urged council to approve the development.

“We will continue to work with our neighbors,” Berkowitz said. “To delay this further pushes us into the winter season and makes construction complicated.”

Council voted 4-0 in favor of the site plan.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6646 or jtierney@tribweb.com.

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