Year-round food trucks and entertainment venues could head to Hartford’s South End. Will it rekindle old neighborhood issues?

HARTFORD, Connecticut — A proposal to create an international food truck and entertainment venue with indoor seating and patios in Hartford’s South End was met with skepticism at a Hartford City Council meeting. , a lot of people liked the concept.

Art Feltman, executive director of the One World Market food truck court project at 681 Wethersfield Avenue, joined co-founder and manager Ricky Feliciano at the City Council’s Planning, Economic Development and Housing Committee this week. announced a proposal. The committee did not vote, so no city council approval is required. The developer has been asked by the council to conduct an information session.

The man now runs One World Market. This is what Feliciano describes as “gathering people into his one world for food”, a place where immigrants can share food from all over the world.

For four years, they’ve featured food trucks two days a week at Hartford Hospital. Prior to that, it was held outside the Old State House, which had a large downtown office population.

“It’s unique. It’s what people of my generation wanted,” said Feliciano.

Feliciano is aware that the Wethersfield Avenue area has a “negative reputation” and has a permanent food court, “so you can have a safe place to go when you visit One World Market.” ‘ said.

The plan is to have 4 food trucks at a time out of 14 rotating trucks that will include West Indies, Peruvian, Thai, Laotian, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Middle Eastern and American cuisines.

The plan was to buy a Casona Lounge, convert it, and put a food truck in the parking lot. The food truck served lunch and dinner six days a week, and the breakfast café was open six days a week. Customers can dine year-round on the remodeled indoor or outdoor patios and picnic tables, and Wi-Fi will be free.

There is also a community room for entertainment such as comedy nights, gaming events, poetry slams, arts and craft shows, and meetups.

Feliciano said the facility is “multi-generational” with items such as video games for children, and is also a place where grandparents can bring their children.

The facility provides warehouse and kitchen co-working space for truck vendors, caterers, and neighbors who want to start a business but don’t have the space. That aspect will help people who want to start a business get into his ground floor, he says, Feliciano.

The man said the project would provide an economic impetus, create regional destinations, put money in the pockets of minorities, and tidy up parts of the city that were “running down and depressed.”

The man said he had options regarding real estate and building plans. It has a budget of $2.8 million, has $1.1 million in grants approved, and has more funding in the application process.

Many council members said they liked the concept of bringing people together around international cuisine and the opportunities the project creates, but looming in the background is the fact that Southend boulevards have historically been It’s a place that has been plagued with problems every spring and summer weekend, attracting huge crowds, sometimes hundreds of cars, motorcycles, ATVs and dirt bikes. Crowds were especially large at the height of the 2020 pandemic, as car gatherings and unlicensed clubs filled the void left by closed restaurants and bars.

Part of the city’s response was a 9 p.m. closing time for food trucks at public facilities.

Alderman James Sanchez said he’s been to One World Market and said, “I believe in what you’re doing,” but his first concern is how local residents feel about the plan, given past problems.

Feltman said the community has been involved since the beginning of the 2019 plan. They have meetings with the public, Feliciano goes door-to-door, and NRZ supports it, incorporating residents’ ideas into their plans.

He said he intended to develop the food court on private land because public property had too many restrictions. Some people expressed concern about the disturbance.

Sanchez also expressed concerns about safety given his past behavior in the area, with Feliciano stressing that security patrols will be conducted and neighborhood police patrols will be conducted. I advised him to speak to a senior police officer.

Shelby Young, president of International Hartford, said the problem may exist because there are no family-friendly facilities in the area.

Young said she’s thinking about residents who might want to have a family celebration and how generations can bond through food and culture.

“This is not just a place for us to sit and talk,” she said. “It opens the door…Immigration is collective. I’m family-oriented by nature. It’s about collective culture coming together.”

Hyacinth Yeni, chairman of the Neighborhood Activation Zone in the area, said after the meeting, with a closing time of 10:00 p.m. said yes.

“It would be nice to have something different in the neighborhood,” Yeni said.

Henry Ocasio, owner of a food truck serving Puerto Rican cuisine, said One World Market has helped his business and supports the new venture.

“I think it’s a great project,” he said, noting that Feliciano and Feltmann “give us all the opportunities,” including quickly resolving the dispute, as the food truck owner Assisted with everything needed.

“Without them, I would have been stuck,” Ocasio said.