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At the beginning of the public meeting on the Gaithersburg West master plan (the so-called Science City proposed by Johns Hopkins University), I wondered if residents would ever stop raging at the unfair process and get down to the business of the meeting. When I read The Gazette article ("Science City looks to muster support," Nov. 12), I understood why they were raging.
I have been involved in planning issues for a long time, representing various citizen groups, and I have never seen a plan proceeding like this. There has been a strong inhibition against the Planning Board members and especially County Council members stating their support for property owners' proposals to develop their land, before they have heard all sides and seen the technical analysis of impacts. Especially considering the huge changes proposed.
Yet I heard what Planning Board members said at their October briefing on the plan: board member Jean Cryor said the county's economic future depends on achieving the Hopkins vision. Even the new board members stated readiness to overlook our standard planning principles, doing "whatever is necessary" to realize Hopkins's vision. I know other closed-door meetings with county executive and "some council members" have elicited similar support.
The public meetings seem to reflect the board's intentions for this plan, to resemble a sales job for the Hopkins vision rather than a genuine effort to elicit what we think. But if it seems designed to make us despair of affecting the outcome, then that is exactly what we must not do. We will not settle for this inadequate process.
We must not rage or try to "just say no" to any more development; we must fill the vacuum and act as the voice of reason. We must say the Hopkins vision of 60,000 jobs and skyscraper buildings is absurd for this location. We will work out and support a plan that meets the need for technology business development, hospital expansion, etc., without changing the whole character of the area, totally congesting the roads and driving global warming. And have faith that our officials' ideals will eventually emerge and they will listen to us.
Pamela Lindstrom, Gaithersburg
