Ballard Mini-Pod hopes to return this summer

The Ballard Mini-Pod food truck lot near Swedish Hospital will likely be back in action this summer as the owner awaits city permitting to allow a permanent tenant.

While permitting isn’t necessary for day use-only trucks, property owner Jay Dodson says he wants to offer a permanent space for a Mexican food truck to offer consistency for customers.

Dodsons says it’s sometimes hard to rely on the daily food trucks: “they come in for awhile, and then go away, or take vacation, or don’t show up on time,” Dodson says. If the trucks are late, “all the doctors and nurses from Swedish come out for lunch, waiting for food, but the truck hasn’t shown up yet. After it happens a couple times, they won’t come back for lunch.”

When it reopens, the tenants will be different — Cedar Shed is going to Capitol Hill, where they’ll operate out of a gas station. And, Tripod Coffee is now at the Center for Wooden Boats. But, Dodson is looking forward to hosting the Mexican food truck, which has had a stand at the Fremont Sunday Market for over a decade.

Dodson has been running the food truck pod for five years, and says he’s recently had offers from a developer (his neighbor) who owns the rest of the block and wants to build a 9-story hotel. Dodson has refused to sell, and said he expects the developer will go ahead and build without acquiring Dodson’s 1240 sq. ft. lot. (We’re looking into the rumored hotel, and will post when we learn more.)

The Ballard Mini-Pod should be up and running again by this summer — Dodson says he’s hoping for July. To stay updated on the progress, you can follow along on Facebook.

Thanks Kelcey for the tip!