Preliminary plans for the Medical School's facility, which were drawn up by the firm Payette Associates, are aimed at adding to the neighborhood by "appearing attractive from the street," Levy said.

Members of the surrounding neighborhood offered their initial reactions to the proposal at a public meeting held Monday.

"The community has concerns about the density of development," Beuhrens said. "There are issues like traffic and parking, but I am confident that we can address these issues."

Although the University owns the land on which the complex will be built, the Medical School still needs to get a city permit from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, according to Levy. The authority said it has not yet received a permit application, and declined to comment.

Buehrens said the permit will be filed soon, and that he expects it to be approved within 8 weeks. Levy said that the authority was informally told about plans for the building's size and appearance during the planning process.

The Medical School plans to schedule more meetings with community members to discuss development plans.

The facility will be located near the Harvard Institutes of Medicine between Louis Pasteur Avenue and Blackfan Street.

--Wire reports were used in the compilation of this article.