Common Fields

We want to start by thanking everyone who showed up to the city Council meeting Tuesday. We had so many people speak up and share their stories and how important supporting small business is to them. It was so packed that overflow had to wait downstairs. All this support means so much to CF and we would not be where we are without this amazing community we are a part of.

I would also like to take a moment to thank the Mayor and all the Council members for taking the time to discuss this issue even though it was not on their agenda. While I was not expecting a resolution overnight, I had hoped that a pause or temporary solution would be presented by the council until more time could be devoted to a long term solution.

Unfortunately this was not the case, while the council supported looking into the SDC’s and the impact they are having on food trucks and small business there was no motion to direct city staff to do anything in the meantime, While there was no immediate movement by the council their plan is to address this early next year when a new City council is elected.

I am not sure what this means for Common Fields and the other small businesses affected by these newly forced SDC’s in the short term. I hope that when a fix is finally made some time next year Common Fields will still be here.

In the meantime we will continue to operate business as usual until we are told otherwise. Please continue to let your voice be heard by contacting officials and signing our petition.

Petition:
https://www.change.org/savecommonfieldsandfoodtrucks

Tomorrow we speak in front of the city council in hopes to save CF and other food trucks in town. We are so grateful for the community outpour in support of us and other small businesses. This is truly an amazing community and we hope we can continue to be a part of it!

We look forward to seeing you all at the council meeting!

6pm Tuesday Sep. 22nd, Downtown Fire Station
400 NW Harrison BLV Corvallis OR. 97333

Common Fields Seeks City Fees Relief, Here’s What City Officials are Saying So Far - The Corvallis Advocate Locally loved food cart pod Common Fields is seeking to add two new trucks, which sounds delicious, but owner Jacob Oliver says the plan has hit a snag; city fees that may make the expansion so spendy that he can’t move forward. If you’ve been on local social media lately, you likely already kno...

Thank you to everyone who has signed our petition. We are not done yet though, and still need you to take action! Can we count on you to use the like below to email elected leaders and ask them to pause the implementation of SDC fees on food trucks?

https://bit.ly/3SONisx

Currently SDC fees for food trucks are cost prohibitive, but I’m hopeful that with your help we can work together with city leaders to come up with a solution that meets community needs without shuttering small businesses. We need a pause and more engagement to come up with a better solution!

It is clear, decision makers had little feedback from small businesses about the impact these SDC fees would have on existing and future small businesses in our community. Thankfully, all of my conversations lead me to believe that there is strong support for addressing these unintended consequences. It remains critically important that elected leaders keep hearing from community voices about the value of our food trucks and other small businesses, so that they are empowered to take swift action to lessen the impact.

Thank you for helping us ask elected leaders to pause the implementation of SDC fees on food trucks until additional community engagement can happen with small business owners so that a reasonable fee can be determined.

https://www.change.org/savecommonfieldsandfoodtrucks

Common Fields, as well as all future food trucks in Corvallis, are under threat. A new fee that was recently passed requires any food truck to pay between $15,000 and $16,000 to start operations in Corvallis.

If you were wondering why there are not more food truck options in Corvallis, a recent System Development Charge (SDC) fee is the main reason. This fee has prevented multiple food truck projects planned for Southtown, has led towards the closure of one Southtown restaurant, has put a pause on a coalition of 10 food trucks who received grant money from the city, and will force Common Fields to remove some of our food trucks or pay $30,000 in fees.

These fees are more than triple the amount that most cities in Oregon charge for food trucks. Both Albany and Philomath have no apparent SDC fees for food trucks. These fees are cost prohibitive to small businesses and create a barrier for entrepreneurs who want to start their restaurant journey by opening a food truck.

Why are food trucks important? They are a great way to bring people together and offer new and exciting food choices. They offer local business growth with what should be a low startup cost. We believe they create community through cuisine and diversity.

How can you help make the change Corvallis needs? The good news is that this fee was a part of a larger package and we think this charge specifically was an oversight. We think it can be fixed if we present our case to the city council. On September 22nd at 6:00 pm at Corvallis Fire Station 1 we plan to share our concerns with the city council and ask for a swift amendment to these fees so our current food trucks can continue to operate and food trucks like the ones currently in Southtown do not have to leave. If you would like to help us save food trucks in Corvallis, here are a few ways you can show your support:

Sign our petition requesting the city change the fee structure.

Through the petition link, send an email to the city councilors and mayor explaining why food trucks are important to you and how this fee is unreasonable.

Show up to the city council meeting with us on Tuesday September 22nd at 6:00 pm at Corvallis Fire Station 1 and show your support by helping us pack the room.

Sign up to speak during the city council meeting. The city council typically only accepts 10-20 people to speak each meeting, so if you’d like to speak please email [email protected] so we cover all our bases.

Leave a comment below letting us know why food trucks are important to you

https://www.change.org/savecommonfieldsandfoodtrucks.

Food truck Friday! Have you tried the amazing kebabhousecorvallis? They serve the BEST Persian food in town (not biased). Stop by this weekend to get yourself a kebab and some handcrafted drinks! 🍢🍵