Seven Peaks, the company seeking to open a cannabis dispensary at 54 Winter St., is trying to head off criticism with a focus on security and safety, but it’s too soon to tell whether that will be enough to placate people at nearby schools, churches and perhaps other organizations.

There was less criticism than expected on Dec. 15, at the first public meeting on the plan, given the location’s proximity to, among other institutions, churches, schools and the Bridge Over Troubled Water program for at-risk youth. However, that could just be a result of technical issues with the online meeting’s invitations.

The current blueprint would use 1,000 square feet for the storefront, with another 500 for operations and a basement vault. Helmed by Brockton nurse practitioner Dominique Atwood, Seven Peaks’ leadership asserted that safety and cleanliness were their priority. That could help mollify the criticisms that almost all dispensary applications face from residents skeptical that a new marijuana shop will improve the neighborhood, especially in a retail hotspot like Winter Street.

“We want the establishment to exude this aura of cleanliness and safety,” said Taylor Hodhod, speaking for Seven Peaks management. “During community meetings there were concerns that dispensaries could compound issues already present on Winter Street, like increased street dealing and petty crime. But studies have found that retail cannabis dispensaries are not positively associated with increased crime or underage use, and with the increased security and lighting we think we can really help the street’s atmosphere.”

Seven Peaks is willing to submit to the same restrictions as other dispensaries in the area -- banning the sale of pre-rolled products, limiting operating hours and instituting a minimum purchase amount. No delivery service is planned for the location, which is in the middle of an area dense with pedestrians, including many tourists, and as the store approached capacity, it would begin only accepting preorders to ensure there are no problems with queueing. Carbon filters could mitigate any odor problems for the surrounding area.

The relative lack of criticism of the proposal at the meeting, and, indeed, little engagement in general aside from a few civic groups, was surprising given the fierce pushback that other nearby proposals have faced.

The address that Seven Peaks selected is a block away from the Bridge Over Troubled Waters youth program, which has objected strongly in the past to dispensary proposals. It’s also just down the street from the Park Street Church, which uses that building for its preschool program, and the William J. Ostiguy High School.

The meeting wasn’t entirely devoid of objection, with Mary Higgins expressing doubt on behalf of the Midtown Park Plaza Neighborhood Association. That group is yet to take a formal vote on the proposal, but members are already grumbling about the proposed store’s address.

“Your security plan is very well thought out, inside and outside, but it’s really the location that the members are having a hard time approving. It’s a little over 500 feet from the William J. Ostiguy High School, and it is very close to Bridge Over Troubled Water. That area around Tremont and Winter already has a lot of issues going on,” Higgins said.

The most strident resistance may be yet to come once there’s more publicity about the proposal. “We’ll find out how we messed up, but we were doing quite a bit of outreach for this meeting, and the link that we sent was not the correct one. I think other people had that issue too,” said Rosemarie Boardman, CFO of the Downtown Business Improvement District.

The public comment period remains open, and the proposal will have to win approval first from the Boston Cannabis Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals before eventually moving through the state application process.