PROVIDENCE – A developer who wants to build a luxury residential skyscraper downtown presented a new design for the building Wednesday, a white tower with sculptured horizontal balconies that could reach 46 stories.
The new design for the Hope Point Tower project was unveiled by The Fane Organization as it sought city permission for a zoning change that would authorize that height. In its request, the New York-based development team seeks a downtown zone for the site that would allow up to 600 feet in building height.
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The existing zoning would allow a building of 100 feet in the location, 250 Dyer St.
The City Plan Commission took public comment on the plan in its meeting, but did not vote on the request.
In an interview before the meeting with The Providence Business News, Jason Fane, president of the Fane Organization, described the building as iconic and sculptural. “It’s white-wavy. It’s sensuous. When people see it, they remember it, or it’s, wow, that’s nice, or I love it.”
“I think it will become the symbol of Providence,” he said.
The design is by IBI Group, of Toronto, which has worked with the company previously on residential towers in other cities. The Providence building would likely include 40 floors of residential apartments and several floors of parking. The tower would sit on a base, or pedestal, containing the parking garage.
The exact height has not been determined, he said. “I want the architect to have the flexibility he needs. We’ve agreed to 46 floors.”
While public criticism of the tower has focused on the excessive height of the tower, Fane said the additional height is a necessity, to generate the income that will provide amenities that luxury residents expect in such a building.
He said he’s already received inquiries about the units. He is not sure how many will be included in the skyscraper, as the layout has not been determined. But the number would likely exceed 300.
The public hearing on the zoning request drew a standing room crowd in the auditorium at the city’s public safety building.
Organized labor had a strong showing, including more than 40 construction workers, many of them represented by the Painters and Allied Trades local, who wore yellow T-shirts. The labor-oriented speakers all advocated for construction of the project, to bring needed work to their members.
Justin Kelley, business representative for the local, said he thought the new rendering depicted a ‘beautiful building.’
“Let’s be the Providence of the 21st Century,” he told the commissioners, telling them that the livelihood of the union laborers is “in your hands.” Many of the smaller renovation projects under way in the city are not using union labor, he said, which commands a higher wage.
“We’re not thugs. We’re not goons. We’re your neighbors.”
Other speakers said the size and scale of the building violate the existing zoning, which was last updated following a lengthy public process less than six years ago.
The hearing extended for more than two hours.
Several speakers said the zoning would not be appropriate for Providence. Several of the commission members also asked questions and made statements that indicated they were skeptical of the requested change.
Luis Torrado, a commission member and owner of Torrado Architects in Providence, said the new rendering was not in keeping with Providence architecture, and could be a building in any city.
“It’s not even attempting to be Providence,” he told the architect for the building, Gianni Ria.
Sharon Steele, a resident of the Jewelry District, said the developer wants to engage in spot zoning for his site, which violates the city’s zoning bylaws.
And “to add insult to injury,” she noted, the footprint of the tower will require the state to reconfigure the park that is included in the Interstate 195 Redevelopment District, to make it smaller. And the developer has indicated he will seek state and city incentives for the development.
“It continues to ask for enormous amounts of public subsidy to build luxury housing. Not workforce housing, not affordable housing, which is what our city needs.”
The public hearing will be continued on May 15, according to the commission chairwoman.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
