WINTER HARBOR – A mix of curiosity and tension seemed to linger inside the Peninsula School gymnasium Wednesday evening, perhaps an unavoidable byproduct of having nearly 300 people in such close quarters.

But the divide among Schoodic Peninsula residents over a proposal to develop 3,300 acres into an ecological community highlights the challenges for those trying to usher the project forward.

Representatives of a group of European landowners doing business as Winter Harbor Properties Inc. have been meeting privately with a number of parties over the last several weeks.

Wednesday marked the first public session, and Michael Saxl of Maine Street Solutions, one of the landowners’ representatives, called the discussion extremely productive.

“Honestly, it went even better than we thought,” Saxl said Thursday by telephone. “We thought there were some really good concerns, but we also were heartened that some people came to our defense.”

If nothing else, the initial public meeting generated significant interest among residents of Winter Harbor, Gouldsboro and beyond.

“I thought it was a tremendous turnout, and I was happy to see that,” said Sheridan Steele, superintendent of Acadia National Park, which has an interest in the development because the Schoodic Point section of the park abuts the southern tip of the property. “I think there is a lot at stake here. The character of the peninsula could change.”

The development proposal, which is still in the conceptual stage, calls for preservation of about two-thirds of the rectangular-shaped piece of land as a green corridor. Plans also call for four separate education buildings, each with its own specialty. The remainder of the development would include a golf course, hotel and as many as a dozen areas designated for housing.

Kelly Emberg, 22, a senior at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, was among a group of about 15 students who attended Wednesday’s meeting. She said the Winter Harbor development has been discussed recently in one of her classes.

“I thought their answers were too vague,” Emberg said of Saxl and some of the other representatives. “They talked a lot about the environmental benefits but they didn’t really address or even acknowledge some of the adverse impacts that will come with it. It seemed more like a [public relations] forum.”

Saxl said he and his colleagues could have done more to address specifics, particularly with the housing component, but more discussion is almost certain.

“The town hall-style forum was a tough setting. Ideally, we want to come back and do smaller sessions where people have a better opportunity to have their concerns heard,” he said.

Saxl conceded that many of the specifics are still unknown at this point.

While some were skeptical and critical of the proposal, many who attended Wednesday’s meeting were excited about the possibility of economic growth on the Schoodic Peninsula.

Murray Joy, whose family has lived in Winter Harbor for seven generations, said he worries about change as much as anyone else, but he also said residents need to take a serious look at this development.

“I’d love to see these towns stay the way they are, but I’d consider that selfish,” Joy said at the meeting.

Another resident brought up the notion that if this project doesn’t move forward, the landowners could end up selling the property to someone else who could initiate a worse proposal.

Others were not as optimistic. Richard Wilson of Winter Harbor stood up and asked flatly that if the developers were so concerned with local opinion, why not put the matter out to vote. If the town decides it doesn’t want this, he said, would they honor that decision.

Cecelia Ward, who represents the group of international landowners that make up Winter Harbor Properties Inc., answered by saying that the owners are committed to developing the property.

“You take a risk when you come out early on and we recognize that we don’t have a lot of specifics right now,” she told the audience. “But they are committed to addressing environmental concerns and minimizing the impact this development will have.”

Perhaps the biggest concern was the anonymity of the landowners who were identified only as a group of about 20 investors, mostly from Europe.

Saxl said he understands that concern, and agreed that in Maine it’s always better to discuss things across a kitchen table.

“But that’s what we’re trying to do on their behalf,” he said.

Stephanie Clement, conservation director for Friends of Acadia, a nonprofit group affiliated with the park, attended Wednesday’s meeting. She said she and her colleagues have neither opposed nor supported the proposal.

“We still have questions and concerns, but we look forward to hearing more from the developers,” Clement said Thursday. “We want to keep lines open with everyone involved and when those questions are answered, that will determine our next step.”

Park Superintendent Steele also said he would continue to meet with the developers.

“I think it’s hard to predict what the impacts will be,” he said, cautioning that the representatives were not sharing all the information they have gathered. “In my experience, developers come up with a plan, but that plan changes significantly over time. But there are certainly pieces of this that are very positive.”

At the close of the Wednesday meeting, Saxl reminded everyone the development is still in the infancy stage. He said Thursday the next step would be to report back to the landowners to see how they want to move forward.

“My job right now is to come up with the next phase of how we continue to inform and empower the community throughout this process,” he said. “We want to make sure that everyone is heard and has an opportunity to participate.”