HADLEY— At the Hadley Planning Board meeting on March 21, the bulk of the meeting surrounded discussion of the use of food trucks.

A bylaw proposed for 2023 by Planning Board member and clerk William Dwyer was an amendment surrounding food truck usage and allowance in the community. The board discussed adding the definition of the different categories of food trucks into the table of uses; including definitions for “one-shot,” or temporary food trucks; cluster, or multiple, food trucks; and semi-permanent food trucks.

Various rules will be based on the type of food truck business owners operate. A temporary food truck, one that may only be in use for a weekend, can use temporary bathrooms or porta-potties. However, semi-permanent trucks, ones that may be in service for a month or more, must have a working bathroom with running water within 100 to 150 feet of the food truck.

Dwyer proposed allowing food trucks in business districts for zoning purposes. With approval from the building inspector and the Board of Health, the proposal is that food trucks can park in business districts including business industrial, local businesses and limited businesses. However, food trucks in agricultural and residential areas may require a special permit.

Board Member Jim Maksimoski spent some time explaining the many steps that go into opening a functioning food truck. Owners need building inspector approval, Board of Health inspector approval, approval from the Fire Department for propane tanks and more approvals from the National Fire Protection Association for other variations.

The discussion of food trucks closed with board member Michael Sarsynski praising them, “One thing about food trucks is that the cost of capital entry is pretty low, so it’s kind of tuned to younger [people] or entrepreneurs not of means. I’ve had some pretty good food at food trucks.”

Last on the agenda was a concern raised by town members about an upcoming festival being planned by the Young Men’s Club.

Scheduled for April 20 and 21, Maksimoski commented he heard from people around town that advertising has reached as far south as Maryland and New Jersey. The board noted the event can expect up to a few thousand people.

The Young Men’s Club is the same organization that hosted the Northampton Pot Festival last year which had over 3,000 attendees.

Hadleaf hearing continued

The decision on Hadleaf’s one-year renewal, which was previously continued from the March 7 meeting, was continued again until April 4. The motion to continue the public hearing passed unanimously with Hadleaf giving their consent for the continuation.