Some feedback on the proposal are polarized a bit. Some people hate the design, thinking it's either out of scale for the skyline or its design clashes with its surroundings. Others are worried that the state will give unfair tax breaks to the developers to woo them in (a RI tradition). However, others including the governor are excited about it.
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I can understand those who aren't excited about the design. However, the scale is not as drastic as the renderings portray. The renderings' perspective and angle make them look far taller than they really are, and while the 55 story tower is going to be noticeably taller than the existing buildings, I don't think its size will look as out of place as people will make it out to be. It's estimated to be roughly 600 feet, which is about 30% taller than the 430 foot Industrial Trust Tower, which mind you, at the time of its construction, was about twice the height of the tallest building at the time.
Also, the reclaimed land (from a highway move from several years ago) that these buildings will be built on is merely a sliver of the vacant land available, some of which has been earmarked for university expansion from Brown and Johnson and Wales, although I think negotiations are still ongoing as to who will build what over there.