Belleville’s growing food scene is about to get a major boost. The township is preparing to open its first-ever Food Truck Park on Washington Avenue in Spring 2026, adding a fresh outdoor dining and community space to its revitalized downtown. Designed as a walkable, hangout-friendly spot with picnic tables, WiFi, hanging lights, and a rotating lineup of food trucks each month, the park marks another milestone in Belleville’s ongoing transformation. With new apartment buildings, a surge of local restaurants, and major investment in public spaces, the township is creating new ways for residents and visitors to gather, eat, and enjoy the neighborhood one park at a time. Read on to learn more about the new Belleville Food Truck Park.
Why a Food Truck Park — and Why Here?
“It just wasn’t wide enough for public parking,” Mayor Michael Melham told The Montclair Girl of the long, narrow municipal lot that sparked his idea to create a Food Truck Park. “So instead we figured, let’s give people a spot, maybe give them some WiFi, some shade, picnic tables, fake grass.”
And that simple limitation turned into a creative solution.
But this idea goes beyond repurposing an odd-shaped lot. It’s also designed to support Bellevelle’s local economy and give entrepreneurs a new platform. Creating spaces that organically encourage more foot traffic means more business for the surrounding shops and cafes, including Belleville’s charming Cuban coffeeshop right around the corner, Cortaditos, one of our local favorites with an incredible Tres Leches.
And for the many Belleville residents who own food trucks, the park fills a long-standing gap. Food trucks have become a part of Belleville’s culture thanks to the township’s two annual food truck festivals. But because a third-party promoter runs those events, locals often can’t get in.
“Every time we put up advertisements for our festivals, I get inundated with people saying, ‘I’m a Belleville resident, I want to get in,’” he explained. “This gives our own residents an opportunity.”
What You Can Expect at the New Food Truck Park
Belleville Food Truck Park will be open for the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons, and have shaded picnic tables, hanging garden lights, artificial turf, cornhole, public WiFi, and power and water hookups for two food trucks.
“It’s not that they just have to drive up,” Mayor Melham noted. “We’re actually putting in underlying infrastructure for them.
”Visitors will be welcome to bring their dogs, work remotely from the park, sip coffee from nearby cafes, or join a game of cornhole with old and new friends. Buying from the food trucks won’t be required to enjoy the park, but it will definitely be tempting. While construction delays pushed the opening from fall 2025 to spring 2026, the township expects the final product to be well worth the wait.
What Food Trucks Will Be There?
The township has already started receiving applications, but the final lineup hasn’t been decided yet. The plan is to rotate two different food trucks each month so that visitors can sample different cuisines throughout the season.“We didn’t want the same food trucks for the entire season,” Mayor Melham said. “Right now the goal is two food trucks for a month, then two different ones the next month, and we’ll see how it plays out.”
And if a particular truck becomes a fan favorite, it may have a chance to stick around a little longer.
Mayor Melham also emphasized prioritizing homegrown vendors, like Belleville resident Cesar Valdivia, the brains and talent behind the well-loved Lomo Peruvian food truck. “He’s got a huge following,” the Mayor said. “Somebody like him is exactly who we would love to have here.”
Of course, he couldn’t disclose specific applicants, but he did share that excitement around the park is building, and inquiries from local vendors continue to roll in.
At its heart, the Belleville Food Truck Park is about more than food. It’s about Belleville shaping itself into a vibrant, walkable, community-centered town. The park is designed to bring people together, support small businesses, and create a space where neighborhood life can thrive.
For Belleville, it’s a continuation of a larger vision, and one more reason to keep an eye on this growing township.
