The Peaked Hill Pastures affordable housing project is headed to town meeting as a concept plan rather than a concrete spending article, as the Chilmark select board and planning board continue to work on a redesign for the property.

In November, the planning board submitted a proposal for roughly 20 rental and owned units on six acres of the 16-acre town-owned property. The select board felt that design was too dense and in December directed the planning board to create a plan for 10 units of rental housing on six acres, and to find an additional four acres for homesite housing.

On Tuesday both boards looked to find the right balance of housing and land.

“The goal is to have it feel like it’s not overcrowded, so we’d like to come up with some creative plan that enables for a fair amount of open space and a fair amount of shared space,” planning board member Richard Osnoss said. “If it’s at all possible to make this design scheme appropriate enough so that we can save a bit of acreage for something else down the road, I think that would be awesome.”

Selectman Warren Doty said a plan needs to be ironed out for voters before a dollar amount can be considered.

“We can vote on the concept; we did that at Middle Line Road,” Mr. Doty said. “I think we can do the same thing, defining the area, and the number of units . . . I think we can do this as a concept without a dollar value.”

Selectman Bill Rossi sketched out a rough timeline, saying if voters approve the concept at the April town meeting, then a specific plan with how many taxpayer dollars would be needed could be put on the warrant for a special town meeting in November.

“We’re talking about taking the six months between the annual town meeting and the special town meeting to come up with an actual plan,” Mr. Rossi said. “If it’s going to need public money, it’s got to go back to the voters.”

In other business, the board voted unanimously to add their names to a letter from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School to the Massachusetts School Building Authority seeking financial support for a major high school building and renovation project. After several years of failed attempts to secure funding, school officials are asking all six town select boards to sign the letter, saying it is an important first step in the MSBA process.

Selectman James Malkin called the letter a good first step for a necessary project at the high school, which has not been renovated since 1995.

“I’m very in favor of moving with something at the high school, and all our schools where necessary. I think this letter, from my point of view, is fine,” he said.

Mr. Rossi gave an update on the $11 million project to build a new fire house and Tri-town ambulance building at 399 Middle Road. The old buildings will be demolished in the middle of February, he said. Applications for bids to build the two new buildings will open Feb. 14.

School district finance director Mark Friedman told the select board that the project to replace the HVAC system at the Chilmark School, budgeted at $950,000, is out to bid until mid-February.

And the board voted to appoint Dena Porter, a Chilmark-based photographer, to the local cultural council, replacing long-time member Wendy Weldon.

“This is my first time having the opportunity to give back to Chilmark and the Island in general, so I’m honored for your consideration of my candidacy,” Ms. Porter said.