The Martha’s Vineyard Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a plan to allow the developers of the members-only Field Club in Katama to pay the town of Edgartown $1.8 million instead of designating three lots on their property for affordable housing.

The commission’s decision last month to hold a public hearing on the cash-for-lots plan ruffled some feathers among Edgartown officials, including members of the town affordable housing committee who negotiated the deal with the Field Club over the past 18 months.

Some suggested the commission overstepped its bounds by scheduling the public hearing, but the commission said it was simply following its own rules.

Although the stage was set Thursday for fireworks, the hour-long hearing was mostly an exercise in civil discourse. Members of the affordable housing committee gave a presentation as to why they endorsed the cash-for-lots plan, and several commissioners offered praise for the commission and their work.

“The presentation made here tonight answered a lot of the questions I had, and I think those questions were [legitimate],” chairman Douglas Sederholm said.

The Field Club project was approved as a development of regional impact (DRI) in 2004 and included a plan to build a 32-lot subdivision on the 24-acre site. The plan was amended to remove seven of the lots to make room for the private club.

The subdivision plan was initially backed by a group that included Edgartown selectman Michael Donaroma. The group bought the property in 2002 for about $800,000. Last November the group sold the land to Field Club developers Gerret C. Conover and Thomas LeClair for $12.35 million.

As part of the previous approval of the subdivision, the developers were required to donate three lots to the Edgartown affordable housing committee. The lots were to be deed restricted and remain affordable in perpetuity and were to be located within the subdivision. But after negotiating with the Edgartown affordable housing committee, the Field Club proposed a payment of $1.8 million in lieu of the three lots.

When commissioners first discussed the deal in July, some members expressed concerns that the swap might further a trend of segregation of housing by income levels. Some commissioners on Thursday revisited that theme, but conceded the plan provided better opportunities for affordable housing.

“If you fast forward the clock 50 years, I would say there will be no working class families on that part of the Island,” commissioner Andrew Woodruff said. “So in that sense I question moving working class families out of there . . . but it’s a moving target. And given the evidence presented I would agree this is probably the best option.”

Edgartown affordable housing committee members Alan Gowell said the plan was thoroughly vetted before it went to the commission.

“We have not gone into this lightly. We spent a lot of time planning how we will use the money and considered a lot of options. We think we can do more good with the $1.8 million than getting the three lots at the Field Club,” Mr. Gowell said.

Sharon Purdy, a member of the affordable housing committee and owner of Sandpiper Realty, said she did a detailed analysis of the lots and determined the price offered by the Field Club was fair and equitable. “These lots were offered for less initially, and we actually asked for a little more [than the final amount]. I think we are satisfied with the final agreements,” she said.

Affordable housing committee chairman Janet Hathaway argued that locating three affordable housing units in the middle of a high-end and largely seasonal neighborhood had its drawbacks.

“I know what Katama looks like after Oct. 1. It’s a lonely and quiet place . . . there is nobody for kids to go trick or treating with, no other kids to play with . . . we didn’t feel this was conducive to a family environment,” Ms. Hathaway said.

Mr. Sederholm ended the hearing on a mostly tongue-in-cheek note.

“I’m glad you wrested $1.8 million from [the developers], but I think you could have gotten more. But that’s just me, that’s the way I’m built. I am always looking to get the best deal . . . but I am convinced that you got a fair price after this hearing,” he said.