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Medford adds tab to coffee kiosks By JILL BRISKEY Drive-up coffee stand owners will have to put down roots and foot their share of the bill when it comes to development fees. The Medford City Council on Thursday passed an ordinance that closes what many call a loophole in local planning policies by imposing standards and requiring coffee stand owners to pay system development fees. Prior to the ordinance, drive-up coffee stands - which are considered mobile food units - did not pay development fees since the shed-like stands were technically considered to be temporary, portable structures. Many have wheels hidden under the structure's skirting. Critics said the rub came when the "mobile" food units would stay in one location for years. Critics also contended that since the coffee carts rarely left their sites, owners should be made to foot some of the costs paid by a regular store. In fall 1999, the City Council discussed how the small coffee stores fit in with the city codes but took no action. Last summer, local restaurateurs requested that the council take a second look at the issue. A public hearing was held in June and many coffee drive-up owners protested the ordinance, claiming the fees could force them out of business. Others argued that it would be impossible for them to comply with proposed code changes. The council voted to table the code changes and sent the issue to a committee of city staffers and drive-up owners. A public hearing regarding a few changes and clarifications made by the committee took place Thursday - without comment from coffee-stand owners. Owners will have 12 months to pay applicable system development fees. They must also pay utility rates for water, sewer, storm drainage and streets. That time frame can be extended for six months. Units without permanent foundations must equip their structures with a hold-down device at each corner of the structure, securing the cart to the ground. New coffee drive-up owners must obtain toilet facilities near the building or in an adjacent building on the same property. They must also pay both development and utility fees. Council members briefly discussed creating a policy regarding the spacing of coffee carts within the city but did not pursue the issue. "If we start to space espresso stands, what's next ... McDonald's or Burger King?" asked Councilman Ed Chun. "I don't think the City Council should get into that." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.