Doesn’t the Mayor, Lisa Gillmor, own one of the commercial buildings at or near Franklin Mall? An annual cap at $14,200 means taxpayers are picking up 90% of the maintenance costs for her personal income producing property.

Sure, the above suggestion would likely see commercial property owners passing on the additional $125,800 (and growing) annual maintenance costs to small business tenants, who would then raise prices on their customers. But that’s how inflation and the rising cost of goods and services goes. Install parking meters to help defray maintenance costs or pass those costs onto property owners … either way, it’ll trickle down to the patrons of that mall and not impact other residents further away.

However, charging for parking at Franklin Square would be like charging to park at a Library or to go to a park. This is a three-tugboat error. No way. Save the cost of the study. Franklin Square hosts the Farmers’ Market and we want visitors to patronize those small businesses all week long..

Fiscal responsibility means not hiring consultants when it is financially unnecessary. No one will say that more visitors will arrive to Franklin Square if we charge for parking. So save the tax money and shelve that idea. For the Convention Center just agree that a modest charge is good and direct staff to bring two price points to Council for an expeditious choice. Simple! Sensible. Frugal.

Chris Stampolis
Santa Clara

Franklin Square for decades held spirits of the Mission City. Bakeries, small businesses, ice creamers, and , even radio stations that held the memories of the Post Wst era and carried them through the 1990s. People still come to little Square despite the desire of some to.kill it for lofty ideas. Keep the Square well.