More than 100 University of Maryland students, faculty and community members waved signs — and tree branches — in protest Friday afternoon against a planned project that would clear acres of forested land on campus.

       Wp Get the full experience.Choose your plan ArrowRight

       Slated for completion in August 2023, the Western Gateway development would bring much-needed affordable graduate student housing to the College Park campus, students say. But opponents also argue it would contradict the university’s commitments to sustainability and say it is not worth the environmental impact: the removal of roughly 1,000 trees, according to student activists.

       “Say no way to Western Gateway!” one protesting student shouted Friday. Another hoisted a sign that read “STOP THE CHOP.”

       Story continues below advertisement

       The project, backed by the Rhode-Island based Gilbane Development Company, includes more than 11 acres of university-owned property. The university plans to lease two acres to Gilbane to build housing for graduate students. The rest of the land, valued at $810,000, will be sold for the private development of townhouses.

       Advertisement

       First announced in 2019, the development is encountering a newly energized backlash.

       “There is a cherished natural resource, Guilford Woods, that is in danger of being developed to build more housing,” said Jan-Michael Archer, a fourth-year doctoral student. “I’m very concerned about the climate impacts.”

       U-Md. president aims to hire more faculty of color, cut carbon emissions and bolster research

       Nancy Barrett, a student organizer studying environmental science and policy, said the issue has been framed as a false battle between adding student housing and keeping Guilford Woods intact.

       Story continues below advertisement

       “We can very much [have] both,” Barrett said. “As a university that is very much committed to environmentalism and pushing the envelope on sustainability, this is the perfect opportunity to find creative solutions.”

       Some possible solutions exist on campus, including the former site of an undergraduate student housing community and a parking lot, Barrett said. But Gilbane owns land adjacent to campus, “the impetus for development of this particular site,” the company says on a website dedicated to the Western Gateway project. The alternate locations may be considered in the future, the company added.

       Advertisement

       Katie Lawson, a spokesperson for U-Md., said officials are working toward a decision that reflects the campus’s commitment to sustainability. University President Darryl J. Pines committed this year to making the campus carbon neutral by 2025 — 25 years sooner than a goal announced in 2009 — and investing in climate science research, upgrading facilities to be more efficient and increasing the use of renewable energy.

       Story continues below advertisement

       “The university is currently listening to different perspectives on how to solve a problem that has impacted our graduate students for some time,” Lawson said in an email. “We are seeking and responding to community feedback, while engaging our graduate students who have clearly stated a need for sustainable, affordable, transit-oriented housing.”

       The prices at Western Gateway will not be as low as many had hoped, said Tamara Allard, president of the university’s graduate student government, “but they are an option, finally.”

       Advertisement

       “We haven’t had new graduate housing since the 1950s,” she said. “ ... If I could wave a magic wand and this project didn’t need to take down trees, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

       $15 million grant is awarded to university researchers finding solution to food waste

       Some environmental factors with the project would partly offset the loss of the forest. Many U-Md. graduate students live far away, and nearby housing would eliminate the need for them to drive to campus. And Allard said she was encouraged by Gilbane’s commitment to plant 10 acres of trees — although not on campus — and build a storm-water management system that, Gilbane said, is designed to handle a 100-year rain event and absorb, filter and cleanse water.

       Story continues below advertisement

       The real problem, Allard said, is that graduate students do not earn high enough wages to live near the school. The current minimum stipend for a nine-month assistantship — employment that helps students pay for school — is $18,340.

       Advertisement

       “In order to be able to live in College Park, you need to find a place with rent that needs to be like $500 or less per month. That does not exist,” she said.

       Gilbane has met with graduate student leaders since introducing the development in 2019, Allard said. The past three graduate student government presidents, including Allard, have written letters in support of the project.

       Now, though, a petition to stop the development has garnered about 2,300 signatures. Greta Rosenzweig, who works in child welfare and has lived near Guilford Woods for 20 years, said she understands the need for graduate housing but wants to preserve the forest.

       “I think you can do both,” she said, echoing Barrett. “But to clear out a forest is unconscionable.”