An Immodest Proposal: Affordable Housing 'More Powerful than a Locomotive'

Image Credit: Providence Journal 

Bank of America's recent decision to vacate the iconic Industrial Trust Tower (better known as the "Superman" Building) has left the tallest building in Providence, R.I. empty. Immediately after the bank's departure, High Rock Development took ownership of the property and submitted a proposal to the State of Rhode Island and City of Providence requesting nearly $54 million in public funds for construction of luxury apartments in the building. This proposal has been met with resistance from Rhode Islanders who support the introduction of new businesses and affordable housing to downtown Providence. Affordable housing advocates note that Rhode Island, home of the nation's sixth-highest unemployment rate (9.1%), does not need more luxury housing that is out of reach of many Rhode Islanders. Recently, NPR conducted interviews with Providence residents waiting for the bus at downtown's Kennedy Plaza and suggestions for Rhode Island's tallest building's future included housing that met the needs of people of all incomes. NPR's Jacki Lyden notes the Industrial Trust Tower plays a pivotal physical and emotional presence in the Ocean State and her observation begs the question: why can't affordable housing be at the front and center of a city's skyline? Affordable housing developments are often implemented in neighborhoods far from downtown business cores and plans to incorporate so-called "low-income" housing in central locations are shuttered by investors and real estate developers. If state and local officials are going to    provide the Superman Building's owners with tens of millions of public dollars, then they should use their political posture to influence developers to put the building to a viable commercial and residential purpose for the common good. A mixed-income, mixed-use building that integrates new commercial space and a significant number of affordable units as well as market-rate options would contribute to Providence's decades-long rebirth as a regional economic and artistic hub and improve access to housing and commercial opportunities in a state recovering from economic woes.