A project to develop affordable housing on town land in Edgartown may have to go back to town meeting for a vote, as the concept has changed significantly since it won approval, the town selectmen said this week.

The town voted in spring of 2012 to develop nine acres on Meshacket Road for an affordable housing complex that would offer both ownership and rental opportunities to year-round residents.

Since the vote, the town affordable housing committee has revised the plan to provide rentals exclusively. Selectmen said the change may need to be addressed at the town meeting level.

“I think our concern is that what the town originally voted on, and what it is going to end up being, it is too big of a gap,” said selectman Michael Donaroma at the weekly meeting of the selectmen held Tuesday.

The current plan calls for building 30 rental units spread among five buildings. The committee made the shift to focus on rental housing following the release of the housing needs assessment last year, a regional report that pointed to a need for rental housing, committee assistant Lucy Morrison said this week. Selectman Arthur Smadbeck said the project had morphed into something different than what was initially proposed.

“If this is going to be that big of a change from where we’re at, this really should go back to town meeting to explain it to them,” Mr. Smadbeck said.

Affordable housing committee chairman Mark Hess said paperwork had been provided to the selectmen indicating ongoing changes to the concept for the project.

“We were under the impression that you were aware of these changes,” Mr. Hess told the board.

But selectmen said they had not received the information. Going forward, Mr. Smadbeck and Mr. Hess agreed to meet on a monthly basis to enhance communication between the two town boards.

The housing committee is preparing to issue a request for proposals for the design, construction and management of the Meshacket project. A public hearing on the project will be held on Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the town hall.

In other news, Dr. Garrett Orazem was appointed to the board of health. Dr. Orazem, a longtime Island dentist, will fill the seat left vacant by Kevin Searle who resigned from the board in late July. Dr. Orazem will serve until the next election in April 2015.

Selectmen also approved a request to set off fireworks on Oct. 4 at 9:30 p.m. in front of the Harbor View Hotel as part of a wedding celebration. The harbor master, chief of police and fire chief have also signed off on the plan.