PROVIDENCE — Senate President Dominick Ruggerio will submit legislation Friday that aims to “create a more streamlined process for approvals” on the state-owned former Route 195 land.

Ruggerio had previously expressed frustration at the City of Providence’s slow-moving approval process for the Hope Point Tower, a nearly 600-foot luxury condo complex proposed on former Route 195 land downtown.

Mayor Jorge Elorza issued a statement Thursday evening opposing Ruggerio's bill.

The project has been mired in controversy and bureaucracy since its inception. Ruggerio’s bill would establish a process for creating “special economic development districts” on state-owned tracts of 20 or more contiguous acres. The districts would have the authority to adopt development plans for land use, locations of buildings, street systems, dimension and height requirements, parking, landscaping, design review and population density, according to a news release from Ruggerio’s office.

The I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, the seven-member board tasked with overseeing the redevelopment of former Route 195 land, would be granted the same authority as the economic development districts.

“These large development districts present extraordinary opportunities and also have a significant impact upon the common good,” Ruggerio said in a statement. “It is clear that municipalities are not equipped with sufficient flexibility to address the unique needs of these districts while governing their coordinated development. This new approach to economic development will provide a new mechanism with all the tools necessary to handle development in a nimble and coordinated way.”

The developer of Hope Point Tower, Jason Fane, should have been welcomed with enthusiasm in Providence, Ruggerio said.

Instead, Fane was met with protests from city residents who disliked the design or disagreed with the premise of developing a luxury condo tower in Providence, a battle between the Providence City Council and Mayor Jorge Elorza’s administration over an exemption from zoned height restrictions, and a recent vote by a city committee recommending that the tower’s design be rejected. A local nonprofit and real-estate appraisal company filed a lawsuit against Fane’s company, the Providence City Council and the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission in January, contending the height exemption, which was approved by the City Council, violates the city’s comprehensive zoning plan. The zone governing the parcel includes a 100-foot height cap.

Union representatives, laborers and some proponents of economic development have remained strong supporters of the project.

“We should have welcomed this investment with open arms,” Ruggerio said in a statement. “Instead, we did everything we could to chase the developer away. Thankfully, he’s still here. This process has sent a terrible message to anyone looking to invest in Rhode Island.”

A statement from Elorza Press Secretary Victor Morente rebutted Ruggerio's contention that the process is flawed.

"The redevelopment of the I-195 parcels has been a collaborative process between the city and state from the beginning," Morente said. "A close working relationship between the city and the I-195 commission has helped realize several successes in the district like the Johnson & Wales University Bowen Center, Chestnut Commons, and the Wexford Innovation Center.... Providence remains committed to proactively and collaboratively working with the I-195 commission until the district is completely built out and becomes a seamless and thriving part of downtown Providence.

"However, it is critical that the city has a role in land use decisions to ensure local residents and local elected officials have a voice in the development process. This bill sets a bad precedent by removing any local oversight or input from the community and its leaders while dismissing existing regulations that were crafted based on extensive input and involvement from residents.

"Further, the bill is unnecessary for the I-195 parcels as the I-195 Commission has formally adopted the City of Providence Zoning Ordinance as the zoning regulations for the I-195 parcels."

The project still needs to earn final design approval from the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.

Robert Davis, chairman of the commission, said the developer must submit the plans for the tower to the commission by the end of June. The commission will then hold a public hearing on the design and also take into account the recent decision by the Providence Downtown Design Review Committee before taking a vote on the design. After June, the commission has a year to take its vote.

But, he said, "It is all overshadowed by the litigation, which I'm not in a position to comment on."

Armando Batastini, a lawyer for the organizations that brought the suit, said the parties in the case will be filing briefs over the spring and early summer.

"We'll be back in front of the court in early August to discuss next steps in the case," he said.

— mlist@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @madeleine_list