City Approves Johns Hopkins DSAI Work, Residents Say Concerns Ignored

The Board of Estimates voted on Dec. 18, 2025 to approve the city agreements that permit Johns Hopkins University to begin stormwater and right of way work connected to its Data Science and AI Institute project along Wyman Park Drive. The approvals authorize extensive stormwater upgrades, temporary closure of Wyman Park Drive for multi year construction, and the removal of trees that the university says it will mitigate through replanting.

Residents from Remington, Wyman Park and nearby neighborhoods, along with 14th District Councilwoman Odette Ramos, urged the board to slow the process, arguing that Hopkins had not properly engaged the community and that the project threatens mature trees and the Stony Run watershed. Activists presented testimony and a petition said to have more than 2,000 signatures opposing the work. They also raised unanswered questions about electrical infrastructure and whether portions of the project could operate like a data center, concerns that have added to local unease about environmental and traffic impacts.

Board members led by Council President Zeke Cohen and Comptroller Bill Henry voted to approve the university requests while acknowledging community alarm. They urged Hopkins to "be their best self" and follow through on promises about tree replacement, parking enforcement, and mitigation measures as construction proceeds. The board framed its decision around the technical scope of the memoranda and the developer agreement, noting the immediate need to address stormwater systems along the corridor.

For residents the approval means months and likely years of construction, altered traffic patterns and pressure on on street parking. The removal of mature trees has implications for neighborhood shade, property values, and the health of Stony Run. The dispute underscores a wider pattern in American cities where major academic expansions prompt debates over environmental stewardship, infrastructure transparency, and community consent.

The university and city now face the task of translating commitments on replanting, mitigation and parking enforcement into enforceable action that addresses neighborhood concerns while the DSAI project moves into its construction phase.