To the editor:

Public comments to the City Commission, the Sunday editorial and a letter to the editor sum up the many strong arguments against city approval of the Oread Inn’s proposal to hold football game-day street parties on public right of way.

The disingenuous rationale offered by hotel spokespersons includes a wish to provide a family fun atmosphere (with street side drinking), and wanting to support the football team. Of course, hotel staff could show their support from a tent on grounds outside the stadium like others do, but this proposal is really about making money.

By increasing their market share of game-day revelry, they will decrease the share of other neighborhood and downtown entertainment providers. In asking to use public right of way for this purpose, they want the city to incur traffic inconvenience at a difficult intersection and to encourage their profit share at the expense of other fair-minded businesses. Sorry, adjacent neighbors who were extremely accommodating during the mammoth construction effort will have to put up with the extra hassle on fall Saturdays too.

City commissioners are hoping that a long list of concerns they want addressed will cover up the fact that no amount of stipulations can make this proposal right. It never should have made it out of the planning office in the first place. If city commissioners can’t say no to this item, one is left to wonder if this City Commission has what it takes to ever say no to the developer of the Oread Inn.