We Asked Mayor Smiley If He Supports the Fane Tower - Here Is His Response
GoLocalProv News Team
We Asked Mayor Smiley If He Supports the Fane Tower - Here Is His Response
We made the question even easier; we made it a yes or no question.
One would think that the two-time candidate for Mayor, the former chief operating officer for the city under Mayor Jorge Elorza, and former Chief of Staff and Director of Administration to Governor Gina Raimondo had a position on the issue.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAfter all, the Fane Tower project was first proposed six years ago, so one would think the mayor has an opinion.
The Smiley team first refused to answer or respond to numerous follow-ups. This is an unusual response as the administration has been fairly responsive to questions during the first few weeks.
We asked numerous other times on Thursday and Friday and never got an answer to our question.
For the candidate “most prepared to lead the city,” one would think that Smiley could answer the most basic question about the future of Providence.
The proposed 47-story project, if it receives final approval from the 195 Commission, is expected to cost in excess of $400 million. It will be the most expensive private development in the city since the construction of Providence Place Mall which cost approximately $500 million when completed in 1999.
That $500 million is approximately $900 million in 2023 dollars.
Smiley, as Raimondo's chief of staff, helped to craft the deal and legislation that stripped much of the city of Providence’s regulatory control over the project and transfer it to the 195 Commission.
Finally, late on Friday GoLocal received a response to the question.
His office wrote, “Yes, the Mayor supports the project if it receives design review and if its financing, bonding, and insurance is all in place. A half-built building is the worst possible outcome for this project.”