Harvard officials are openly frustrated with the results of five months of community meetings that they hoped would result in progress toward a new modern art museum on the Charles River.

Since its creation last April, a joint study committee—composed of representatives from Harvard, the City of Cambridge and residents of the Riverside neighborhood—has met seven times to explore issues of development on the southern edge of the University’s campus, addressing issues such as zoning and traffic impacts.

The study committee was formed after the Cambridge City Council passed an 18-month moratorium halting development in Riverside, the consequence of resident opposition to Harvard’s proposals for a modern art museum on the University-owned site currently occupied by the Mahoney’s Garden Center on Memorial Drive.

But after several committee meetings, Harvard officials are expressing serious concern about the direction of the commitee’s discussions, saying that community members have been unwilling to accept any of Harvard’s proposals, perhaps jeopardizing any hope for committee consensus.

“I am very concerned the process is moving forward in a direction that is likely to produce an outcome that Harvard cannot support,” says Mary H. Power, Harvard’s senior director of community relations. “My concern is that the community has not included the interests of Harvard as a property owner in the discussions.”

The committee last met on Wednesday, with many residents continuing to strongly oppose Harvard development in Riverside, with many adamant against the idea of an art museum that would block resident views of the Charles River.

“For me, there’s the reality of being stoned in by all this development,” says resident and commmittee member Bridget Dinsmore. “Harvard is supposed to be our neighbor. But what kind of neighbor would block your view of the river, and block out sunlight?”

Much of the animosity toward Harvard stems from the University’s construction of Mather House and Peabody Terrace in the 1970s, two projects residents say tower over their small, residential neighborhood.

“Right now I feel like I’m living on Harvard’s campus,” says resident Saundra Graham, who chairs the study committee. “I think we have paid the price for Harvard’s institutional development.”

Because of the University’s negative history in the neighborhood, she says, residents will not easily give up on opposing Harvard’s development efforts.

“This is an emotional issue,” Graham says. “For a lot of us, this is Custer’s last stand.”

Harvard’s Director of Community Relations for Cambridge Travis McCready, who has served as Harvard’s representative on the committee, says Harvard understands resident concerns.

“This community feels unheard, and feels under siege,” McCready says.

But he says the degree of opposition to any Harvard proposals has effectively halted constructive discussion.

Committee meetings have recently centered around zoning plans for the area that McCready has called “draconian,” and unacceptable to Harvard’s future development proposals.