Plans for a dedicated food truck court in the city’s Heritage District moved forward Tuesday after Maricopa City Council unanimously approved rezoning the property.

The proposed court could host up to 10 food trucks near Mercado and Main streets, but the site plan is still under review, said Assistant City Planner James Kamstra. The site would also include 27 off-street parking spaces.

Councilmember Bob Marsh asked whether the court would work with future First Friday events. Kamstra said it’s right along the corridor where that event is held.

Vice Mayor Vincent Manfredi called the proposal a first step toward development in the area. The city tried something similar a few years ago, but the key was redoing the ordinance that would allow food trucks, and now they’re ready for it, he added.

“We want to see development here. It doesn’t mean this will be here for the next 40, 50 years, right?” he said. “It’s a first step in something happening there that brings other people to the area.”

The proposal is the latest effort to find a suitable place for food trucks to operate in Maricopa aside from the Central Arizona College parking lot. In 2023, several food trucks were told to leave the Fry’s Marketplace parking lot after a dispute with the property owner, according to previous reporting. The city also previously had to address trash concerns at other temporary food truck sites.

Vincent Manfredi is the owner of InMaricopa.