Current and future political leaders are divided on whether the massive $220 million project to redevelop Providence’s Superman building should receive additional taxpayer support, with costs having reportedly increased. Upward of $65 million in federal, state, and city funding, along with a $29 million tax break for the first 30 years, are already expected. Developer High Rock is looking into how much of the increased costs it can bear internally, indicating that it may require public funding to cover the gap. Meanwhile, former Providence Mayor Joe Paolino believes that taxpayer support originally allocated for the now-failed Fane Tower project should be shifted to subsidize part of the rising interest rate costs faced by High Rock. Conversely, state senator Sam Bell has criticized the project, arguing that converting the historical building from office space into apartments is not cost-effective and should be reconsidered.