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The saddest part of it all is that Ms. Banks trusted Johns Hopkins because she knew that they were well aware of her wishes. She trusted Johns Hopkins. Everyone knew she didn't want a residential or commercial complex on her farm. Her obituary says "Her love of the land led Ms. Banks and her family to sell Belward Farm at a gift price to Johns Hopkins University to ensure its development as a campus instead of a housing or commercial complex."
She and her family agreed to the plans for a 1.7 million sq ft academic or medical campus. That is what she wanted. They worked it out with Hopkins and they all agreed to it.
But Hopkins didn't follow through with those plans. They waited for Ms. Banks to die and then they proposed a 4.6 million to 6.5 million square ft high-rise commercial complex for 15,000 to 20,000 people in buildings 12- to 14-stories high. That was obviously not what she wanted and Hopkins knew it.
I confronted David McDonough from Hopkins at a community meeting and told him that. He said, "Ms. Banks is dead".
So much for her trust in Johns Hopkins. They didn't care.
Maybe she was a fool for not having a 20-page deed that spelled out every detail but she was old-school and trusted people. Very sad.

by Donna Baron on Dec 5, 2011 6:23 pm • link • report