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Friday, June 12, 2009

Food / Portland City Pulls Plug on Food Cart Parties

Posted by Sarah Mirk on Fri, Jun 12, 2009 at 4:16 PM

After hosting a series of epic till-4AM parties, the food carts at 12th and Hawthorne have gotten in some hot water with neighbors and the city noise enforcement officers. The scene at the carts on the corner of Hawthorne has heated up during the last year, with the arrival of vegan poutine slinging Potato Champion last spring and the recent opening of Twittering pie cart Whiffies.

But the food is just part of the draw. "The party atmosphere of this place is really what people love," says Whiffies-owner Gregg Abbott. After several complaints from neighbors and visits from the police and noise control officers, Whiffies and the other carts have ditched their usual habit of playing amplified music at the corner as customers pile in late at night.

This past Halloween and New Years, the carts threw raucous parties that lasted till 4AM but didn't go through the trouble to get a noise permit (technically called a "variance.") Potato Champion owner Mike McKinnon decided to make things clean and legal for a May 1st show with DJs and three bands at the carts but, says noise control officer Paul van Orden, the party went on way longer than scheduled.

Two neighbors turned up at the carts, complained and then called the cops. "Extremely loud music. Group did not adhere to conditions of variance. Did not reduce noise upon request. Did not respond to police officers as per variance," reads the official complaint. Abott and McKinnon say that's bunk — they say they walked out into Ladd's Addition during the middle of the party and couldn't hear the music over the sound of a passing bus. According to police records, the corner had three noise complaints from neighbors in April and May of this year — last year during the same time there were none.

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Potato Champ Mike McKinnon: Hey you kids! Keep it down! photo by Scrappers

Either way, now the carts' landlord and police are pushing owners to stick within the law — that means no music louder than 55 decibels at the property line after 10PM. Fifty five decibels is slightly quieter than conversation between two people.

"We've been pushed pretty hard by the police bureau to recognize this as a problem area," says van Orden. "They weren't self-policing themselves." He says his office is definitely not going to issue variances for music past ten for a while.

"It's not a very logical thing for us to keep issuing permits. It's costing the taxpayers money to keep babysitting these events," says van Orden.

Whiffies owner Abbott says the carts are trying to be good neighbors, but that some noise late at night is essential to keeping the corner exciting. "We’re totally willing to be reasonable about 'Let’s not a lot of noise late at night or on weeknights' but this place has really become a really cool place for people from all Portland’s communities to come and hang out. You see people really coming through and hanging out from eight until two in the morning."

The quiet policy will certainly be tested to its limits this weekend as Whiffies and Potato Champion have promised free food to naked bikers on the World Naked Bike Ride this Saturday. Potato champ is kicking in 50 small fries and Whiffies will has 50 vegan fruit pies on hand for anyone who shows up after midnight, naked, with their bike. Hoot! Holler!

 

Comments (18) RSS

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1
OMG! People have to follow the law! Who'da thunk it?

I guess having fun and being exciting is more important that being a good neighbor.
Posted by Graham on June 12, 2009 at 4:25 PM · Report
2
I guess it's all about your political clout. Construction at the downtown Safeway (SW 10th & Jefferson ) as a part of its renovation has been going on NIGHTLY for a couple of months with neighbors complaining to the city with no response other than, "Oh, it will be over soon..." even though the noisy construction is in complete violation of city code at that hour.
Posted by All about who you know on June 12, 2009 at 5:16 PM · Report
3
I've ridden by there late at night. It's not that loud when you're not in the parking lot. Whoever is calling the cops should get some friends. Or maybe a hobby, since they most likely have the social prowess of a cinder block.
Posted by Will Radik on June 12, 2009 at 5:22 PM · Report
4
Re: construction

I had to put up with the same BS from a Freddies behind my house for months.
Posted by Kyle! on June 12, 2009 at 5:23 PM · Report
5
People have to sleep, man. Hey Will, way to speak up for the PBR leisure class. How long do I have to wait for one of your boring blog posts?
Posted by person trying to sleep without ac/dc music waking me up on June 12, 2009 at 5:32 PM · Report
6
I'd settle for PIR not blasting an entire 2 mile radius with noise all day, every weekend, all summer.
Posted by Matthew D on June 12, 2009 at 5:44 PM · Report
7
"People have to sleep, man. Hey Will, way to speak up for the PBR leisure class. How long do I have to wait for one of your boring blog posts?"

Not long at all, I'm sure.
Posted by jake on June 12, 2009 at 7:14 PM · Report
8
Fuck the police. And grumpy neighbors. If anybody tries to stifle this cart pod, they deserve to be awakened by much worse music than was probably playing to prompt the complaint.
Posted by Microfoam on June 13, 2009 at 1:42 AM · Report
9
@ person who coined "PBR Leisure Class." This term is perfect. It officially replaces my previous terms for this particular species, which had been "Stupid, Entitled Portland Butthole" and "Stupid, Entitled Portland Lady Butthole."

Who needs sleep as long as these silly fucks are having fun being faux-edgy until 4 AM?
Posted by Commenty Colin on June 13, 2009 at 7:47 AM · Report
10
Frankly, I doubt that what the carts are serving is food or what they are playing is music. More like a pretext for social prowess.
Posted by Jim Lee on June 13, 2009 at 8:38 AM · Report
11
Dear Everyone Defending the Carts' Right to Blast Music in the Middle of the Night,

Could you post your addresses so I can stand outside your ratty rental houses at 2 PM on a random Wednesday when you're trying to sleep off a weeknight spent chugging $1 Old Germans at the Florida Room? I'd like to run around your yard blasting Def Leppard while chain smoking and knocking around your trash cans. Honestly, I think you would really enjoy that. Let's make it happen!

Thanks,

Me
Posted by C'mon on June 13, 2009 at 10:47 AM · Report
12
Speaking of Noise Ordinances, can someone report those "mobile Shred-It" trucks that collect offices flotsam? They are quite noisy and aggravating.
Posted by NIG GER on June 13, 2009 at 11:42 AM · Report
13
This was a problem in the area. The former Jezebel's Bar which was two blocks away, was shut down due to hypersensitive neighbors.

These people hate any kind of social gathering near their area, and are extremely disappointing that they are attacking a food gathering as well.

Jezebel's was fantastic. I hooked up with horny ex-girlfriends after dancing on the super tiny dance floor to DJ Wicked!
Posted by Grabbylon666 on June 13, 2009 at 11:53 AM · Report
14
Is it just me? It seems that out of all the good press this great little food court has gotten (national and local), The Mercury only seems to hype the negative. This makes the third anti-report I've seen here since it opened. Can't you guys find the good in this place that most others have enjoyed? Or are we just still pissed that we can't park as easily when trying to get a cup of coffee?
Get over it. I'd hate to see your pride keep you from enjoying what everyone else has discovered.
Posted by iRobot on June 14, 2009 at 1:58 AM · Report
15
Spots along Alberta has the same problem. It's very hard to get the city to give a damn. The relatively well-to-do nature of Ladd's Addition no doubt helps get results.

Bottom line is this town is full of kids who don't have any responsibilities and don't give a crap.
Posted by Blabby on June 14, 2009 at 9:29 AM · Report
16
food carts are the new fixies
Posted by Chunty McHutchence on June 15, 2009 at 10:18 AM · Report
17
I live next to the drunk cart munching dildos that wander around the block smoke bowls, fuck and leave their trash and piss all over the place. The cart lot is just ground zero for dozens of underage kids to drink and party all night long. Every weekend there are used condoms, needles and piles of alcohol related trash all over the place. Shut that crap down!
Posted by blow me on June 15, 2009 at 4:55 PM · Report
18
Blow me, Blow Me. Your attempts at propaganda are very transparent... Your motives too obvious. Your agenda has been exposed. Your identity revealed. Your ego bruised.

Go home. (You live nowhere near this place.)
Posted by The Defender of The Benevolent on June 15, 2009 at 6:39 PM · Report

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