They are being seen more frequently on West Seattle street corners – people standing for hours, selling fruit from boxes. (There’s been one at the busiest corner near WSB HQ, three days during the past week, standing there from morning till late in the day. A nearby resident who speaks a little Spanish tried talking to her, and learned only that the vendor was “from the mountains of Mexico.”) Some people have messaged us to ask about the law. One of the first results we found in an online search reminded us that this is not a new phenomenon – there was even a discussion last year in the WSB Forums. While a permit is required to sell on the street, it’s a moot point in many of these cases, because it’s outright prohibited in single-family zones (as is the case of the one near us). Is anyone enforcing the rule? So far, we haven’t heard from anyone who has officially complained. The method for doing so is on this SDOT web page. (SDOT is checking for us to see if they’ve been getting complaints, and how they’re handled.) We haven’t found much past coverage of the fruit sellers in this area, but it’s been a hot topic in the Bay Area, where this story suggested some of them may be more victim than violator.
ADDED: SDOT’s Marybeth Turner tells WSB they don’t get many street-vending complaints; when they do: “An SDOT Street Use Inspector responds to these complaints during normal work hours on a priority basis. If it is a matter of public safety, a Seattle Police Officer may also respond, also on a priority basis– this occurs mostly in the SODO stadium area or nightlife areas” such as Belltown.
| 79 COMMENTS