The presence of homeless men and women in the Pit on Sheldon Cohen Island has been on the radar screen of improvements planners since at least 2006, when the Harvard Square Initiative, an older document of suggestions for beautifying the Square, mentioned “the homeless and safety concerns around the Pit at night.”

Kotelly, who owns Crimson Corner, said, “We’ve had some customers complain they felt that walking through the Pit area at night wasn’t the safest venue.”

But he thought the stadium seating was a good idea, since it would come along with other improvements like new shrubbery. “I’m in favor of cleaning up that area and putting some extra seating,” he said.

Though they disagreed on the merits of the proposals like the glass kiosk and the giant LED screen, most Square business owners and city officials said that the area seems due for some sort of facelift.

“The area is old and certainly tired. The street furniture is tired and needs to be redone,” Sullivan said.

Donez J. Cardullo, co-owner of Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe, also located across the street from the island, said that if the proposed major construction becomes reality, it will inevitably dampen foot traffic for the many surrounding businesses.

But she said that the result—a radically modernized look for the central crossroads of Cambridge’s most touristed district—would be worth the inconvenience.

“We’ve lived through several construction projects, and we just hold our breath until it’s done,” she said. “We support any project that works to beautify the area.”

—Staff writer Kerry M. Flynn can be reached at kflynn@college.harvard.edu.