The Madison Vending Oversight Committee met Wednesday to adjust vendor rights for upcoming Madison events, discuss late-night vending area changes and approve the southeast campus area's vending map.
The committee began by passing all motions regarding adjustments to vendor rights, designed to facilitate continued vending during upcoming festivals such as Maxwell Street Days and Art Fair on the Square.
The committee also moved to work more closely with Madison festivals to avoid past problems concerning issues of overlapping space and time.
""I think this will work as an alternative to some of the clashes we've had,"" Warren Hansen, Madison's street vending coordinator, said.
The committee also considered altering site assignments for late-night vending carts.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said Broom Street restaurants complained that late-night vendors competed for parking spaces, impeded traffic and illegally used area Dumpsters, which adversely affected their businesses.
The committee discussed allowing only small carts on the street while relegating all but one or two large carts to the Library Mall area as a solution to these problems. They also encouraged late-night vendors, as well as concerned businesses, to attend next month's meeting to air their concerns.
The committee also discussed approval of the southeast campus area vending map to have a plan in place for vending prior to this weekend's Mifflin Street Block Party.
Verveer raised the question of possible additional vending near the Kohl Center and the University Avenue-North Lake Street intersection near the Fluno Center.
""It's awkward that we don't have any vending sites at all east of North Park Street,"" Verveer said.
Although no new sites were added Thursday, the committee unanimously approved the southeast campus vending map with the stipulation that new vendors could be added at a future time.
""We are looking for more possibility in the future,"" said Ald. Thuy Pham-Remmele, District 20. ""Let's approve [the southeast campus map] tonight, but let it be open-ended.""
