Let Melrose vendors stay

Turkey legs aren't first thing to come to mind when you think about out-of-control tailgating at University of Iowa home football games.

Or Hawkeye apparel, or any of the dozens of offerings hawked by commercial vendors on city property just outside Kinnick Stadium.

But Iowa City staff are recommending that City Council members crack down on the impromptu bazaar, saying that zoning and safety concerns should prompt them to disallow the vendors and booths that are game-day staples along Melrose Avenue.

Property owners and residents complain the raucous tailgating scene turns their neighborhood into a disgusting mess. That's something to consider, too.

But game-day commerce isn't the enemy here. Blame the fans for trash and misbehavior, not the giant tenderloin. City officials should target safety concerns and regulate vendors - much like they do with the city's farmers markets or other special events.

That's the alternate recommendation a committee charged with looking at game-day commerce has given the council, and it deserves a closer look.

Yes, Melrose is a residential neighborhood, not zoned or intended to support the intensive commercial business that's evolved around Hawkeye home games.

But that commerce has become a vital part of the atmosphere, and an economic boon to dozens of local small business owners.

Still, the committee is right - there has to be some control.

If council decides not to ax commercial activity, the committee proposes creating a special game-day permit, limited to specific areas on Melrose, and common-sense requirements like fire inspection, plans for traffic and trash, and preventing commercial activity from bleeding farther into residential areas.

There may be more ideas, too, to help reach a compromise between the interests of permanent residents and game-day celebrants. That's the way to go: Move forward, instead of back.

“We've been very lucky to this date to not have an incident,” committee member Doug Boothroy, who is Iowa City's director of housing and inspection services, told me Friday. “We just can't go back to what we've enforced and tolerated there in the past.”

But killing vending altogether is too heavy handed - it would put a heavy dent in the carnival atmosphere surrounding Kinnick.

There's a big difference between a carnival and a free-for-all. That's where city leaders should draw the line.

Comments: (319) 339-3154; jennifer.hemmingsen@sourcemedia.net