But Boston’s current project in Crosstown is an office building—not a laboratory building—and HMS does not have any current demand for office space, Buehrens said.

“The vast majority of space [used by HMS] is lab space or classroom space,” Buehrens said. “Our consumption of office space is relatively small.”

According to Buehrens, HMS is currently constructing a large laboratory in the Longwood Medical Area that will open next year and will meet HMS laboratory needs for the next several years.

But because the biomedical and biotechnology fields have been areas of growth in recent years, and should continue to grow in the future, Harvard will continue to need more space.

In addition to looking at ways to grow in the Longwood Area—which along with Mass. General Hospital is the primary recipient of medical and non-medical federal funding for biomedical research— HMS is also exploring possibilities for growth in other areas of Boston, including Crosstown.

Other options include development of Harvard’s vast land holdings in Allston or building in east Cambridge, Buehrens said.

Buehrens said that Crosstown development was a longer-range possibility, with HMS development in the area most likely occuring in five to 10 years.

But while Boston city officials had hoped for immediate Harvard development in the Crosstown area, some residents are opposed to the any biotechnology development in the area.

Some residents close to the Crosstown development site have formed a group called Safety Net to oppose the mayor’s plans to develop the area for biotechnology.

“If you are going to make some sort of move like that, then you need to discuss that with the members of the community,” said Klare Allen, a Roxbury community organizer for Safety Net.

Boston officials have had similar concerns about Harvard’s current development, especially in Longwood—concerns that Harvard officials say they recognize.

“I understand the mayor’s concerns about the growth of this area and its impact on the surrounding community,” Buehrens said. “We have worked on mitigating our impact.”

And despite the negative response from some Boston city officials, McCluskey said the University and the city have visions for biotechnology in Boston that are “very strongly aligned.”

“Our inability to respond affirmatively to this particular request to rent office space in Crosstown does not diminish the fact that the long-term goals regarding advancing biomedical research and biotechnology in Boston are strongly shared by Harvard and the city,” McCluskey said.

—Staff writer Stephanie M. Skier can be reached at skier@fas.harvard.edu.