Of the "Pro," Levitan said their proximity to student dorms was a concern for the University, but that it did not motivate the current action.

"It's a tough question," he says. "When Harvard bought the building the Pro was already there. Given that, we didn't ever take any action to extricate them from our property."

Indeed, HPRE is working with "Pro" owners to find a new home in Harvard Square--possibly in another Harvard-owned building.

Still, Levitan acknowledges that a liquor store makes a less-than-ideal University tenant.

"I don't think we would actively seek out a new tenant that was a liquor store if they didn't already have some history in our property," he says.

"It would be way down on our list of priorities to seek out a liquor store in one of our spaces, [there are] other uses that we would look more favorably on," he adds.

The new building will be around 23,000 square feet and cost between $5 and $6 million to construct.

According to zoning requirements the site can accommodate up to 5 stories, which could make its height similar to that of the Garage complex across the street.

HPRE is investigating possible occupants for the retail space planned for on the building's first floor, but declined to reveal potential tenants.

Levitan did say whatever is eventually built on the site will be in keeping with broader trends in University retail space.

Levitan says other University properties have been filled with small businesses looking for a start in the Square, pointing to Toscanini's on Mass. Ave. as one example.

He says this ice-cream-and-coffee store took a prominent location that McDonald's would give "their eye-teeth for."

"We don't have a history of getting the highest revenue tenants. We feel a responsibility to maintain the mom-and-pop character of Harvard Square," Levitan says.

And so he says the first floor of this new Mt. Auburn Street development would likely not be occupied by a big-name retail tenant. The upcoming move-in of retail giant Abercrombie and Fitch into the former site of the Tasty has raised the ire of some Cantabrigians.

"All we know is that we want something consistent with the Square," says Mary H. Power, Harvard's director of community relations for Cambridge.