A meeting of the Uphams Corner Improvement Association on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the re-development of the former St. Kevin’s Parish property left many residents with more questions than answers.

About 20 residents met at the Cape Verdean Adult Day Care Center to discuss how the 2.3-acre site, which is to be converted from a church and parochial school campus to an 80-unit housing complex, would impact the group’s efforts to make the neighborhood a new arts and entertainment hub. Although those in attendance were largely against the development, specifics about the project’s dimensions and plan were difficult to pin down.

The Uphams Corner property, which sits on the north side of Columbia Road and comprises three buildings, 35 Bird St., 516 Columbia Rd., and 530 Columbia Rd., was shuttered in 2008 when the Archdiocese of Boston moved to create the Pope John Paul II Academy system at other sites in the city.

The new development proposal is being headed by a three-way partnership involving St. Mary’s Women and Children’s Center, Holy Family Parish, and the Planning Office of Urban Affairs (POUA), an archdiocesan-affiliated development group. The latest version of the plan was approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority in March and POUA is currently awaiting state funding in order to purchase the site and begin renovations, a process estimated to cost about $30 million.

With 20,000 residents living in the .3-square-mile neighborhood, many attendees were concerned an additional 80 families would bring too much density to an already bustling neighborhood.

“This is a meeting about St. Kevin’s,” said session organizer Nancy Conrad. “But St. Kevin’s isn’t in Roslindale, it’s in Dorchester.”

Residents also raised concerns about the addition of 50 new parking spaces at the complex, as well as a lack of retail space built into it. There were also fears that a proposed 6,000-square-foot library and separate community room would be removed from the final project.

“The question I have is, ‘Are any of us going to have a voice in this?’ ” asked Virginia Street resident Aaron Larget-Caplan, who added that the absence of a POUA representative at the meeting indicated “there’s a lot of divide and conquer going on.”

POUA president Lisa Alberghini said a recent change of managers on the project caused her office to miss alerts about the meeting, but she was quick to note that representatives have met in the past with Uphams Corner Main Streets, the Uphams Corner West Side Neighborhood Association, and a group of direct abutters to discuss concerns.

Alberghini said that her organization submitted two proposals to the BRA, one including a community library branch and another without, and that the final decision as to whether or not the amenity would be included would be determined by the Boston Public Library system, which would have to foot the bill for the space due to restrictions on how state housing funds can be spent. While the fate of the library is unknown, Albergini said the complex would have some space available for community gatherings but could not offer specific dimensions.

“The idea of a potential library came from folks in the community,” Alberghini said. “It would take up most of the first floor and we’re absolutely interested in pursuing that library, but at this point it is not in our hands.”

Alberghini also mentioned that while initial plans had incorporated some retail space into the complex, a review of local businesses made in conjunction with Main Streets found that a quarter of all storefronts in the area were vacant and additional space would add further competition for the neighborhood’s remaining business owners.

During the meeting, several residents confronted Main Streets president Matt Bruce on the state of the current plan due to his organization’s involvement in a 2009 “visioning process” meant to guide development in the area.

Bruce explained that Main Streets approved the most recent proposal for the site in 2010 because it had followed most of their guidelines. However, he said, that approval could be reevaluated upon seeing a new proposal slated for release this fall.

“It’s not a choice between the best thing we want and what is being built,” Bruce explained. “The choice is between what is being proposed and nothing happening.”