The nonprofit Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, which owns 340 protected acres on the Montgomery County–Phila. border, plans to sell 24 acres there. Frank Kummer landed the assignment to write about it in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Residents were not happy to hear about the center’s plans. They voiced their disagreement during a Zoom community meeting last week. Attendees expressed their fear that development could come to a part of the city with a more rural than urban vibe.

Mike Weilbacher, the center’s executive director, joined with three board of trustees members to alleviate the fears. They explained that the center plans to limit development there, ensuring that parts of it remain preserved.

According to Weilbacher, the center opted to sell the Roxborough site because it does not have the financial ability to maintain it. It also needs a minimum of $5 million to make the necessary upgrades and repairs to the center’s buildings.

“We have suffered from years of underfunding,” he said, “and we’ve been working hard to improve that situation.”

The plot is just across the Schuylkill River from the Montgomery County community of Gladwyne and the Phila. Country Club.

Read more about the sale Schuylkill Center plans in The Philadelphia Inquirer.