After nearly three years of planning and countless community meetings, the University finally received the go-ahead last night from a local community board for the proposed Knafel Center for Government and International Study.

The Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commission (MCNCDC) gave the first formal approval for the building, voting 4-1 in favor of issuing a certificate of appropriateness for the project.

The MCNCDC--a city board with the authority to forbid construction--was meeting for the eighth time to discuss the project, which has been bogged down by neighborhood opposition.

But a complete redesign of the center by architect Henry N. Cobb in May led to new enthusiasm for the project by commission members.

The new plan proposes two four-story buildings of rounded glass and terra cotta facing each other on Cambridge Street. The buildings, which would replace Coolidge Hall and the University Information Services building, would be joined by an underground tunnel.

The new design reduced the square footage of the center from the original plans by more than 10,000 feet and the height by 12 feet.

Most residents at the meeting were still strongly opposed to having the proposed buildings near a residential neighborhood, saying it was inappropriate for the area.

"There is an established character in this area," said John Pitkin, who heads the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association. "This is in no sense complimentary."