Parking-LTE-Schiller

==LTE==
===No sympathy===
* http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06339/743535-110.stm
Merrill Stabile, president of Alco Parking, feels he
should not be pressured to reduce his parking lot
prices when the city's parking tax drops from 50
percent to 45 next year ("Parking Tax Will Drop, But
Not Rates: Lot Operators to Use Savings to Cover
Rising Expenses," Nov. 20). Mr. Stabile reasons that
he should keep the tax cut because his expenses keep
going up.
As Downtown property owners, we have little sympathy
for Mr. Stabile. Over the past few years we and other
hard-pressed commercial property owners have been
forced to reduce our rental rates because of the
dismal business climate Downtown, despite being faced
with the same or similar rising expenses.
In fact Mr. Stabile, who is on the board of directors
of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, is one of the
reasons our expenses are going up. He recently voted
for and was a fervent supporter of raising the
business improvement district (BID) levy 25 percent over the
next five years on all commercial Downtown properties.
Mr. Stabile should reduce his parking rates and learn
to live in the world he is helping to create.
Gerald Schiller, Penn Hills
Frank Schiller, Wilkins
==Links==