Providence City Council Delays Decision on Fane Tower Rezoning - Send to Committee for Hearings

Friday, September 07, 2018

 

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Proposed Fane Tower

The Providence City Council further delayed a decision on a rezoning request for the proposed Fane Tower on the 195 parcel on Dyer Street.

The council voted to send the proposal back to the Ordinance Committee for further discussion. 

Council President David Salvatore declined to comment. Salvatore who is the full-time lobbyist for the RI Realtors has refused to answer questions about his dual role as both State House lobbyist and part-time City Council President.

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GoLocal has repeatedly asked Salvatore if he needs to seek an advisory opinion regarding the Fane Tower project. Salvatore in the past had sought and received advisory opinions from the RI Ethics Commission.

In a statement to GoLocalProv, the developer Jason Fane said Thursday night, "We are pleased and are looking forward to the next step in the process - presenting our plan.”

Councilman John Igliozzi, Majority Leader, said he is always conditionally in favor of development, and the Fane tower is no exception.

"There are some causes for concern at this point, and everybody needs the opportunity to understand," Igliozzi said, continuing that the council needs more information from the developer before a decision can be made, including more information on finances, what the building will look like, and business plans. The councilman also suggested finding a "happy medium" with the developer in terms of height.

"We're doing our due diligence here," Igliozzi said. "We're being open, honest, predictable, and giving everyone a chance for success. I'm approaching this the way any major corporate investor would. I want to protect the taxpayers and the city."

The proposed project is expected to cost approximately $300 million and would be the largest private investment in Providence since the building of Providence Place Mall in the 1990s.

Opponents and Supporters

Dozens of residents, both for and against the ordinance, attended the meeting.

John Mensinger, a Cranston resident, opposed the tower. Though he is not a Providence resident, he said decisions made in the capital city affect the entire state.

"I'm not a fan of spot zoning," Mensinger said. "Zoning ordinances are important, and they're there for a reason. The river is an exceptional place in the city, and I think having parking located so close to the park is a bad idea."

Elisabeth Hubbard of Providence said the city doesn't need more luxury condominiums.

"We have a real housing issue in Providence," Hubbard said. "There are too many empty businesses and too many luxury condos. If there's going to be something there, it should be something that people can afford."

Dan Crow also opposes the proposal, saying that his issue is with the location.

"I'm not against the building itself, just where it will be located," Crowe said. "The location goes against the 195 commission's original goals: to create more jobs. Any jobs created by this will be short-term only. We should focus more on being generators of the tech industry."

Christopher Utter, a Providence resident, said he worked for years as an architect in New York City highrises and supports the tower, but thinks another location would be better.

"I'm an advocate of highrise construction. I was against the first proposal, but I think this newest one is far better," Utter said. "There are so many options available, and I think other locations should be considered, for example at the South end of Dorrance Street where there are currently just parking lots. The 195 land should be reestablished as a park, as was planned." 

Carl Farmer said he lives on Benefit Street, which overlooks the proposed site.

"I think it's inappropriate," Farmer said. "There's already been a lot of work done to get zoning in the area. That's five year's worth of work, for what?"
Farmer added that there is a need for a signature building at the top of the bay, but this is not the ideal choice.

"It's cookie cutter, straight out of a design book. You could put this in the middle of the desert!" Farmer said. "I'm all for buildings, but I'm for good buildings."
 

 

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