Johns Hopkins University’s “Science City” plans have been given a boost from reviews by state highway officials and a top Montgomery County Council official.
Maryland State Highway Administration Director Gregory Slater says his agency is “in support” of the plan to turn the area around west Gaithersburg into a massive high-tech research and development corridor.
In a memo to County Council staff, Glenn Orlin, deputy council staff director, said plans for a 20 million-square-foot Science City wouldn’t upset the area’s traffic “balance.”
The plans for the biotech development have run into resistance from residents and “smart growth” advocates, who say the project would create another traffic nightmare in the area.
Few oppose the development outright — most critics say they want the plans scaled back so the Gaithersburg-Rockville-North Potomac area isn’t crushed by sprawling development.
» 7 to 9 p.m. Monday
» Up to six council members scheduled to attend
Advocates of Science City saw the Slater and Orlin letters as evidence that the project can make the county a center for high-tech research without creating a commuting disaster.
“I think it’s great news for the project,” Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Lisa Fadden said. “If both [Orlin] and the folks from state highway are concluding that the plan can work at 20 million square feet, it’s significant and gives additional credibility to the plan.”
Opponents say the endorsements are disingenuous.
“They’ve brushed off most of the questions from Rockville and Gaithersburg with generalities,” said Councilman Phil Andrews, D-Rockville/Gaithersburg. “They’ve said, essentially, the overall average traffic in Rockville will be acceptable. That’s like going to a doctor and the doctor saying, ‘Well, your arteries are clogged, but the rest of you, on average, is OK, so that’s acceptable.’ ”
Andrews and five colleagues are scheduled to address a community meeting on the plans at Quince Orchard High School on Monday night, bu it was canceled because of the weekend snowstorm.
