Dear Mayor Spruill,

Thanks for contacting me about your upcoming request to charge Saturday parking in the areas that  Park Mobile serves, and the fee increase for per hour parking.

As you know, my wife and I own and operate Dolce and L’uva Wine Room at 509 University Drive.  Almost all our customers utilize street parking that is serviced and taxed by the Park Mobile system.

I don’t personally have a problem with a pay to public park solution, but I question the favoritism  shown businesses outside of the Cotton District and Midtown who don’t have to have their customers  pay a parking fee.

Our customers only have 15 minutes to park with no fee and must pay for each 15 minute increment  after. Downtown businesses have two hours of free parking, with no fee necessary. This is unfair  treatment of similar-type businesses (restaurants and shops) within the city.

Currently parking fees are only accessed on business days. Your proposal to tax Saturday parking  within the Park Mobile foot print is concerning, and I believe will cost us business.

I will take crowded street parking on 6-7 football Saturdays a year if it means my customers don’t have  to pay any parking fee for the rest of the Saturdays.

Again, this fee isn’t being proposed for businesses on Lampkin or anywhere downtown. It’s an unfair  tax that my customers will have to pay.

In fact, the 15 minute free limit has prevented us from opening L’uva for lunch. Again, asking our  customers to pay for parking to eat at my restaurant while places a black away get a 2 hour window is  inherently unfair.

My suggestion is to limit Park Mobile use to 8a-5p Monday through Friday and expand it into all of  downtown with the same free limits and fees to make it an even playing field. Or give District and  Midtown business the same 2 hour hassle free parking that current downtown vendors enjoy.

The businesses in Midtown and the Cotton District who rely on street parking deserve to play under  the same rules that downtown enjoys, Anything else is unfair and not small business friendly.

Robbie Coblentz

Starkville