In another abrupt change of course, backers of the Bradley Square project announced on Thursday that they would attempt to find common ground through a new committee made up of people on both sides of the project.

“It has always been our mission to create housing that is affordable within the context of thoughtful community involvement,” said Richard Leonard, chairman of the Island Housing Trust, reading a prepared statement at the start of a packed public hearing before the zoning board of appeals at the Oak Bluffs senior center.

Mr. Leonard also said: “It is clear that there are some individuals in the community . . . who remain concerned about various aspects of the proposed project . . . Over the past several days Don Lambert [head of the opposition group] and I have had several conversations regarding this matter and our mutual desire to bring people together to discuss this project, in a civil and organized manner, with the goal of determining if there are viable modifications which can be made to the plan.”

It was the latest turn in a flurry of recent activity surrounding the Bradley Square project; earlier this month a citizens group called the Oak Bluffs Concerned Citizens formed to oppose the project, and last week project backers announced they were putting the property up for sale.

On Thursday night Mr. Leonard said Bradley Square developers and members of the Oak Bluffs Concerned Citizens have agreed to establish a joint committee. He also requested a one-month extension on the Bradley Square application and asked that the public hearing be adjourned with no further discussion.

Mr. Lambert followed by announcing that his group fully supports the creation of the committee. He said his group would cease its opposition to the project while the committee works toward compromise, and encouraged others to do the same.

Following the meeting, information previously on the Oak Bluffs Concerned Citizens Web site (capawack.net) opposing the project was removed, including a list of backers who reportedly have a vested financial interest in the project.

In place of that information was the following message:

“On Sept. 18, the Oak Bluffs Concerned Citizens Committee, the Island Affordable Housing Fund, and the Island Housing Trust agreed to establish a joint committee to determine if viable modifications can be made to the Bradley Square plans to address the concerns voiced by many neighborhood residents.

“As part of the agreement, no information will be published on this Web site during this period.

“We have high hopes that when we reopen this site by mid-October, we will be able to show Oak Bluffs and the Island what can be accomplished when two opposing parties decide to collaborate towards a common goal.”

The Bradley Square project calls for the redevelopment of the Island’s first African American church on Masonic avenue into a mixed-use complex including three buildings with 11 apartments — some of them affordable — plus work space for artists and a community center. The Island Affordable Housing Fund paid $905,000 for the property in 2007; the fund now has the property on the market at an asking price of $1.5 million. The fund took out a $700,000 loan from the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank which it used to pay partly for the purchase (the remainder came from fundraising).

Thursday’s announcement caught the zoning board off-guard, and members debated whether to close the meeting or allow the public hearing to continue. The board decided to allow public comment.

“A lot of people showed up tonight to hear this, and it would be wrong to send them home,” said chairman Kris Chvatal.

When public testimony began the tone was noticeably different. People both for and against the project said they were thankful that the new committee had been created and expressed hope that both sides could come up with a plan everyone could support.

“I am so pleased to hear these two groups will be working together,” said Vera Shorter, representing the NAACP. “We don’t have to live in a warfare world, we can solve our differences right here . . . it is time for us to smile at each other again and work together,” she added.

“The [Bradley Square] story is an American story,” said Bettye Foster Baker, an Oak Bluffs resident and summer social columnist for the Gazette. “And from the history of that building we can learn a lesson for today — that nothing is achieved without compromise. I think we can show all the people what we love most about this community. That we have learned to work together.”

Sue Dawson, an Oak Bluffs resident who owns a gallery on Dukes County avenue with photographer Alison Shaw, said: “This has been very hurtful and painful to us personally, and I would like to come forward and ask that the healing begin . . . there is a way to get something done without attacking people.”

Opponents were equally conciliatory, and many said they were never against the project, but only had concerns about its size and scope.

“There are many good intentions here, and maybe that is the problem — too many good intentions for one project and the site can’t take it . . . all we are asking for is to tone down the use of that property a little,” said Katama avenue resident Alex Palmer.

“There is absolutely no opposition to the preservation of the Bradley Church,” said Yann Meersseman. “When that For Sale sign went up last Tuesday we were instantly concerned about what would happen to that property.”

The zoning board is tentatively slated to continue the hearing on Oct. 23.