PROVIDENCE — A plan to build a major condominium tower on Federal Hill took a major step forward last night when developers received preliminary approval from a City Council committee to buy underground access from the city for construction of a parking garage.

The developer, Frank Zammiello of Cranston, will pay the city $469,030 for the right to use the land under Bradford Street to build an underground parking garage. But he is still seeking the air rights above Federal Street to build his 25-story tower, and the opposition of one councilman has proven enough to delay that approval for now.

Last spring, Zammiello floated a proposal for a 330-foot high, 33-story, $80-million luxury condo tower that would be built atop Federal Street and Bradford Street on Federal Hill, close to Route 95. Part of Bradford Street would have to be abandoned to construct the building. The West Broadway Neighborhood Association has contended that the scale of development would be out of character in the neighborhood.

Zammiello trimmed down his proposal and is now seeking approvals for a 250-foot tower, boasting roughly 25 stories, which would not require abandonment of Bradford Street. An arch would be carved out of the center of the building, allowing traffic on Federal Street to pass through.

But to provide parking, the developer needed to purchase a subterranean easement from the city allowing him to build part of the garage under Bradford Street.

Last night, he came before the City Council’s Public Works Committee, where he got half of what he was looking for. The committee approved the request for the subterranean easement but delayed action on the air rights request until its next meeting. Approval from the full City Council will be necessary to finalize the deal for the underground easement.

Before the deal was struck for the underground easement, the two sides had to reconcile some wildly different thoughts on what the proper sale price should be.

The city’s appraiser, Thomas Andolfo of Andolfo Appraisal Associates, valued the two projects together at roughly $647,000: $469,000 for the underground easement and $178,000 for the air rights. The developer used his own appraiser, Peter M. Scotti, who came up with a far smaller value of $180,000; $100,000 for the underground easement, $80,000 for the air rights.

The committee was ready to delay the approvals while the two sides tried to find common ground, but Zammiello conceded and said he would pay the city’s figure for the access.

That was not enough to secure approval on both his requests, however. The three members of the council committee who were present voted to approve the underground easement, but Councilman Seth Yurdin’s opposition derailed the approval of the air rights purchase. Council Members John J. Igliozzi and Balbina Young were absent, giving Yurdin significant power on a three-man body.

Yurdin’s concern was the height of the building, which was also a sticking point for members of the City Plan Commission, after that body heard testimony from members of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association that the building would be out of character in the neighborhood.

The City Plan Commission had deadlocked 3 to 3 on whether to recommend to the council that the city sell the air rights. The developer would still need a height variance from the Zoning Board to build the structure, but Yurdin said he did not want the council to give its approval and add momentum to the project before other boards have had a chance to view it objectively. Once one board approves something, the others often follow suit, he suggested.

“The valuation is high, the price they would pay is high. Granting that provides momentum and I’m not comfortable doing that on this project,” he said. “I’m uncomfortable being the momentum that is added to it.”

That set the scene for Yurdin to make the most of his fellow council members’ absence.

Councilman Michael Solomon made the motion for approval, but Yurdin refused to second the motion. Chairman Leon F. Tejada wanted to second the motion, but the chairman can second a motion only if he temporarily steps down as chairman and appoints the vice chairman as head of the committee.

Yurdin refused to be appointed vice chairman and because it was Solomon’s motion, he could not accept the appointment either. Despite the 2 to 1 majority seeking to approve the sale, the committee could not bring it to a vote.

Zammiello advocated pushing the air rights decision to the next council meeting.

“We should come to the next public works meeting and see if there’s a larger contingent here,” Zammiello said.

Yurdin said that additional time was his goal all along, and with his approval, the committee delayed action until next month.

The developer, who has developed Bridlewood Estates in Lincoln and a 438-unit condo project in Highland Beach, Fla., said the opposition to his project has been overstated and he feels he has widespread support.

“The only people who are against this project, in my estimation, are the West Broadway Association,” he said.

dbarbari@projo.com