Oak Bluffs voters will be asked to accept Hospital Road as the new public access into the Windemere neighborhood at the April town meeting, selectmen decided this week.

The $52 million hospital expansion project, which began in 2007, left the dead-end road without access to other town roads except by traveling over hospital property.

The Oak Bluffs planning board has held a series of meetings with the affected neighbors and a shared management plan has been discussed, planning board chairman Brian Packish said at the selectmen’s meeting Tuesday.

He called the plan “essentially a land swap.” If voters agree, the town will be accepting 29,192 square feet of land and giving to the hospital 28,090 square feet in turn. Earlier this month the planning board voted unanimously to recommend three warrant articles related to the issue.

Through the three warrant articles, voters will be asked to accept the new Hospital Road as a town way, discontinue the old road as a public way and discontinue a portion of Windemere road as a public way. These steps will reinstitute legal access to the neighborhood.

Hospital neighbors who attended the meeting expressed their continued displeasure at the plan. Problems have included ambulances blocking the street, drainage issues, and inability to sell lots because of the legal landlock on the neighborhood.

“All the neighbors wanted when we brought our warrant article in 2014 was to get back equal to or better than our road,” said homeowner Patrick King. “I challenge any citizen in this town that wouldn’t want equal to or better than what they’ve had for 100 years. That’s all we want.”

Mr. King filed a civil lawsuit in federal court in August arguing that town and hospital officials and members of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission failed to meet their responsibility to preserve the public way. He said Tuesday that the case will be heard in September.

Mr. Packish said it took the planning board more than a year of working on the road to get to where they are now, but he doesn’t dismiss the neighbors’ concerns.

“Were there deficiencies? Yes, there were deficiencies,” he said. Drainage problems were real and have been and will continue to be addressed, he said, as will the ambulances blocking the street.

Hospital attorney Sean Murphy said the town abandoning a section of Windemere Road in exchange for Hospital Road was always the plan.

“The error was while it was under construction the road was never abandoned, and the other taken,” he said. “This is the road. The question today is, does the town want to take the road and make public access for these people.”

The article on the town meeting warrant asking to accept Hospital Road as a public way also authorizes the selectmen to negotiate and enter into a maintenance agreement with the hospital. Under the proposed maintenance plan, the hospital would be responsible for drainage, lighting and landscaping. The town would be responsible for plowing, sanding and asphalt repair.

Selectman Gail Barmakian said she wanted the agreement to clearly state that the hospital is responsible for staying up to date with the Clean Water Act.

The annual town meeting is on April 12.

In other business, the selectmen unanimously accepted the recommendations of animal control officer Anthony BenDavid to classify Sean Nelson’s dog, a pit bull mix named Bruin, as dangerous.

On March 7 Bruin attacked Gregory Packish’s dog, a Cane Corso named Tank, at the Trade Winds airfield, Mr. Ben David said. Tank is expected to fully recover.

Mr. BenDavid said Mr. Nelson has taken full responsibility and complied with his instructions. Bruin must be confined to the house or a securely gated yard and must be leashed and muzzled at all times outside. A $200 bond will be placed on Bruin for one year. He was placed on Prozac by his veterinarian, Mr. Nelson said as he apologized Tuesday.

“It says it takes a couple weeks before it gets to him,” Mr. Nelson said.

Selectmen also adopted the update to the 2015 hazard mitigation plan from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.