In addition to the size change, the University increased the setback for the project, creating 18,700 square feet of new green space along the Charles River.

Brian S. McNiff, a spokesperson for the MHC, said the board is currently reviewing additional design information provided by the University on the project. McNiff added that the board has no power to block the project, and is instead working with Harvard and its architects on modifications to minimize the impact of the building on the area.

“The material they have submitted is still under study,” McNiff said. “The board will attempt to negotiate on what the builders want to do and what we think is appropriate. This is not a procedure that would halt the building’s construction.”

Initial construction has already begun on the dormitory, with an expected completion date of July 2003. Harvard Planning and Real Estate is marketing the building in a housing brochure mailed with Business School acceptance letters.

Power says that she is disappointed that the residents have decided to take legal action, saying the purpose of the proposed 240-unit building is to help alleviate the housing crunch in Boston and Cambridge caused by graduate students living in residential areas.

Harvard currently provides on-campus housing for nearly all undergraduates and about 40 percent of graduate students.

“The mayor of Boston issued a challenge last year to the University to house at least 75 percent of its graduate students to relieve pressure on the local housing market,” Power said.