Food carts could come to downtown East Peoria

  East Peoria is looking to allow food carts in its new downtown area this spring.  Peoria Public Radio’s Alex Rusciano reports the idea is to boost more foot-traffic in the city’s new Levee District:
 
East Peoria City Staff proposes allowing six food carts around the Civic Plaza area that includes the new library, meeting space and potential future city hall.  City Planning Director Ty Livingston says the food carts would help bring people to an area that’s also surrounded by Costco, Target and other businesses:
 
“One of the things we’ve seen from neighboring communities is the food carts are really a nice attraction, its a great amenity to have in a public space.  We’ve got a great public area that we’ve developing down in the levee district and this is really a nice for that area,” Livingston says.  
 
Livingston says if approved the food carts will run weekdays late morning to early afternoon from March through October. He says the goal is not to detract from established businesses, but to bring more people to the new downtown in good weather.  The proposal still needs full council approval.