Aponte Slams 195 Tower Proposal in Providence

Aponte Slams 195 Tower Proposal in Providence

City Council President Luis Aponte is calling the proposal put forth by developer Jason Fane to build three residential skyscrapers on 195 land "insulting" -- and not the best use of the property for the city. 

"I think the renderings show that [the proposal] is out of scale, size, and shape," said Aponte. "It's an insult to our city's historic character."

The Fane Organization presented to the proposal to the 195 Commission on Monday.

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"I urge that clearer thinking prevails," said Aponte. "I understand that we are seeking development and support that, but I think we must hold fast to the belief that not all development is good development."

Take a tour of the initial designs BELOW

Aponte spoke to the prospects of the three towers on Tuesday. 

"The City Council responded to the call that our process for increasing development was too lengthy and political, so we created a [new] process And for a year, not much happened," said Aponte. "We hope that when [195] is developed, it can be connected to the rest of city -- with this proposal, I don't know if we could even do that."

"If you look look at a Marvel or DC comic book, I'm sure you could find similar buildings," said Aponte of the renderings. "I hope that we attract development of the scale and size that's appropriate for that site and rest of city."

"Its use is as important as aesthetics, and if we're only looking to develop residential, I'm not sure it's in keeping with the development of the 195 corridor," added Aponte. "Where are the jobs, where's the industry -- how are we taking advantage of other assets like universities and hospitals?"

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to attract development. It went from the Jewelry District to the Knowledge District, and I'm not sure residential development alone is the answer."