It's a trailer park for food trucks, and it's one of the better things since sliced bread.
Justin Costanzo, the architect of Lakewood Truck Park, is trying to bring the idea to, yep, Lakewood, with help from his colleague Dan Deagan.
Here's how it would work: a bunch of food trucks would get together in one place, making it easier for you to eat all the food truck food you could want all at once. A truly fantastic idea.
If all goes according to plan, it will go up at the corner of Detroit and Edwards avenues next spring, ideally in time for St. Patrick's Day.
The pair know a thing or two about the food industry, making them a good team to put this plan to action. Costanzo is the owner of Grindstone Tap House in Berea and still works as the general manager at Dive Bar in the Warehouse District. He also managed the Blind Pig for ten years. Deagan is the owner of Deagan's Kitchen & Bar and Humble Wine Bar, both in Lakewood.
Costanzo said the 19,000-square-foot lot where he hopes to set this all up has been vacant for the past four or five years. He and Deagan have obtained the land through a lease agreement.
Plans for the lot include two buildings and a large courtyard. One building would have an indoor bar, restrooms, walk-in coolers, office space and storage. The other would be a room that opens up on every side, with the sides facing the courtyard opening all the way to the ground. The goal is to have the building feel like an outdoor space as close to 365 days a year — weather permitting, of course.
Three to four food trucks would be able to park directly on the property and would likely rotate out daily, Costanzo said. Other trucks would park on city streets.
Costanzo said many food trucks in the area have already reached out to him with interest.
He said he also has some other ideas for the space. He envisions various ice cream providers setting up shop on a weekly or monthly basis during the summer. In winter when fewer trucks are around, he would like to see a vendor move indoors and provide a limited menu to customers.
An idea like this is bound to draw lots of interest, and Costanzo and Deagan are ready for it. They plan to be able to seat 35 people in the main bar area, 100 in a larger indoor space, 100 on the patio and 45 on a potential rooftop deck.
Plans have been submitted to the City of Lakewood Architectural Board of Review.
"Lakewood is a community with a lot of young and fun families. We want to stress that we want this project to appeal to the whole community," Costanzo said. "We are working on plans to have ice cream pop ups for kids and family events once a week."
