Sherwood could get its first food cart pod

SHERWOOD, Ore. — Sherwood workers and residents passing through the Tonquin industrial employment area may soon have a new place to stop for lunch. 

A food cart pod might be coming soon to Sherwood, after a recent development in zoning changes requested by a local landowner.

On February 24, landowner ORWA Sherwood, LLC and Portland-based design firm Mackenzie held a public hearing for a zoning amendment request with the Sherwood Planning Commission that would allow food cart pods in the light industrial zone district within 500 feet of Tualatin-Sherwood Road.

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the zoning amendment change to the City Council.

A 50-acre area would be affected by the zoning proposal, according to city documents. The food cart pod site plan is 2.8 acres on the southeast corner of Tualatin-Sherwood Road and Century Drive, west of Rock Creek.

If the request is approved, the food cart pod rules state that there must be at least five carts, a permanent covered dining pavilion, and restroom facilities. The site’s early conceptual plan from Mackenzie includes room for 16 covered carts, a 7,000-square-foot food hall, 3,000 square feet of covered seating, outdoor amenities, parking, and a stormwater facility.

The Planning Commission's public hearing follows two public notices published in January and February, as well as a January 30 pre-application conference between the project's applicants and city staff. There was also a neighborhood meeting at the Marjorie Stewart Senior Community Center on October 30, 2025, but no members of the public attended, according to city documents. No public comments were received for this project ahead of the public hearing.

Eric Rutledge, City of Sherwood community development director, said the zoning amendment only applies to a limited scope of land near Tualatin-Sherwood Road.

“We didn't want food carts necessarily to be allowed on all light industrial properties because they're really reserved for industrial manufacturing, but in certain areas it could make sense for there to be allowances for food carts,” Rutledge said.

If the city council approves the zoning amendment, the developer can then apply for a conditional use permit for food carts on that specific property, Rutledge said.

Benefits of food cart pods

This comes after an October 2024 ordinance passed by the city allowing food carts to operate within Sherwood. Food cart pod policy is in chapter 16.39 of Sherwood’s municipal code.

The change allowing mobile food units provides opportunities for small-scale entrepreneurship, unique eating establishments, and public community gathering spaces, creating a transition between industrial and commercial land, according to the city. 

The city said food cart pods offer development flexibility, site adaptability due to their modular design, relatively low infrastructure demands, and ability to be scaled over time, making them a valuable asset in fostering economic growth and enhancing local amenities.

City staff found that the zoning amendment allows for greater entrepreneurial opportunities that can meet the needs of the Sherwood community including businesses — which means that the development of the food cart pod is consistent with the city’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan for a thriving and diversified economy. Staff also found the pod’s development to be consistent with its transportation plan.

Brian Varricchione, urban planner and civil engineer at Mackenzie, spoke at the public hearing to the Planning Commission, saying the goal of the zoning amendment is to narrowly craft something that benefits multiple property owners without using up all the industrial land for food cart pods, in a way that has multiple benefits.

“The genesis of this idea was the property owner approaching us and hearing about these new rules for food cart pods that the city had rolled out and said, boy this would be kind of interesting,” Varricchione said.

According to ORWA Sherwood, LLC's application submitted to the city, food cart pods are a response to a public desire for gathering places and local food choices.

“It benefits the employers on the east part of the city, because now their employees can come here, eat lunch, (and) hopefully that also reduces vehicle miles traveled ... There are some homes not too far away, so residents can have other options as well," Varricchione said. “It would benefit the property owners by giving them one more potential use for their site. Looking at the local economy we also think it would benefit small business owners, because while there's an overall operator, the food cart pods themselves are typically small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to try something new."

Next, the City Council is slated to hear about the project on March 17.