Development
Hopkins lobbyist circulating "push poll" survey on Gaithersburg West
Residents of the Gaithersburg and North Potomac areas recently received an email invitation to take a "survey" about the future of the I-270 corridor and The survey comes from Richard Parsons, who was hired by Johns Hopkins University to push for large-scale sprawling office parks on the former farm it owns west of Gaithersburg, far from existing transit and most of the people who need the jobs. Parsons is also being paid by the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce to promote promoting spending $4 billion on more lanes for I-270.
The concept sketch belies JHU's urbanist rhetoric.
Here's the survey. In case Parsons takes it down, here is a cached version.
Like many "push polls," the survey is worded and structured to persuade people to support a particular point of view, not to collect information. It presents various pro-project talking points, then asks people if they agree, and presents choices between their good-sounding plan and some awful-sounding straw man non-plan.
At the start, the survey asks people if they support or oppose "creating good high-paying science, technology and related jobs in Montgomery County." Of course, the survey never asks if people would prefer to locate those good, high-paying jobs around White Flint, at the Shady Grove Metro, in eastern Montgomery County, or one of the many other areas that would be better places for jobs. It also asks if respondents support "expanding mass-transit service, to reduce traffic congestion and provide alternatives to automobile travel." It also asks if they support the CCT, "which would extend transit service from the Shady Grove Metro Station, through the Shady Grove Science Center, and north to Clarksburg using either light-rail or bus-rapid-transit."
Few people actually oppose transit or new transit lines in the abstract. The debate in this area is not whether to build some transit, but what transit. A bus rapid transit CCT that follows the Planning Board's suggested alignment, which is what Hopkins wants, takes a circuitous route that would draw few riders. Of course, Parsons didn't ask whether people prefer a CCT that slowly winds through the office parks, or a more direct route. He didn't ask if they prefer light rail or bus.
The most clearly slanted piece of the survey follows with this question:
If you had to decide how to develop the area around a future transit line, and your choices were:How about:(a) A higher-density community with more jobs, housing and retail all within walking distance, in a "transit-oriented" community setting, using the latest sustainable design standards, with more public recreation space, and greater economic benefits to the local tax base; or
(b) A lower-density suburban office park with a more traditional auto-dependent design, fewer traffic and school impacts, fewer jobs created, no new housing, retail, public transit, or recreation space, and less economic benefit to local taxpayers;
Which would you choose?
(c) A disconnected chain of small but dense office parks, with a slow, poorly-used bus connecting them, large freeway-style interchanges, large superblocks that make walking difficult, so-called parks that are actually just the medians of high-speed boulevards, and a vague but likely unfulfilled commitment by property owners to create some retail on the site, which costs local taxpayers billions to continually widen roads so that people from the rest of Montgomery County can drive long distances to the jobs that aren't near their homes?
The survey concludes by asking people whether they agree or disagree with "the following statements in favor of expanding the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center as part of the Gaithersburg West Master Plan." Each repeats a talking point from Hopkins about why the County should rezone this area far from transit for their benefit.
If you took this survey and replaced each mention of Gaithersburg West with White Flint, DC's ballpark district, or Tysons Corner, it would be describing a truer choice. But that's not where it is. Those other locations have Metro as well as good-quality bus transit. If this area were on top of one or more Metro stations, the development would make sense. But it's not.
Hopkins and Parsons are trying to convince Montgomery County to build something in the wrong place. Hopkins has some land, and they want to develop on it as if it were atop Metro because they want to maximize their profit. That's why they keep calling it walkable, transit-oriented development. At the same time, since they know it isn't really that at all, the plan requires massive increases in auto capacity, and uses huge unwalkable superblocks.
Hopkins has a lot of money, and stands to make a lot more from this project. They can afford to pay lobbyists like Parsons to write slanted surveys that push their talking points. County Councilmembers have told me that there's a lot of pressure to make Hopkins happy. The county's taxpayers and commuters will be the ones paying the price.
Update: The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce clarified that while they do support the 270 widening project, they are not paying Parsons or any other lobbyist regarding it. Our original source for this sentence got the information from someone else, who must have been mistaken. We apologize for the error.
Parsons is definitely being paid by Johns Hopkins, however, who confirmed to the WBJ that Parsons was acting on their behalf in creating and disseminating the survey.
 | David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington. He has had a lifelong interest in great cities and great communities. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.   |
Comments
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by SJE on Aug 21, 2009 12:58 pm
[ I would never call them places]
Bill Gates and AOL, and others like them have pioneered sprawl office parks all over the USA- they are almost always car-centric or pretend to be "green" by adding some energy saving micro feature .
Go to the Walk Score website and check to see how bad Gate's mansion outside of Seattle scores.
These people might be smart at what they do for a living and they might be making grand discoveries in science, but they sure are narrow minded and not willing to look outside their cubicles and labs.
by w on Aug 21, 2009 1:12 pm
2 - Somewhat important
3 - Extremely important
4 - Oppose (nice contrast with my #3)
5 - Very important (but I would prefer "regulating" instead of "restricting" and "focusing" instead of "limiting".
6 - Higher density (duh)
7 - Yes
8a - Strongly agree
8b - Somewhat agree
8c - Strongly disagree
8d - Somewhat disagree
8e - Somewhat agree
9 - Oppose
This overall survey implies that while it could be said this development is transit-oriented, it doesn't consider that the CCT itself is of a poor design.
weee... weekend time; off to PA
by Bossi on Aug 21, 2009 1:15 pm
by Cavan on Aug 21, 2009 1:31 pm
I have no clue why some people take the opportunity to build a world class biopark for granted.
I say, Hopkins should move it elsewhere where ppl would appreciate the construction of an internationally competitive biotech park.
by LOL on Aug 21, 2009 2:04 pm
by Casey Anderson on Aug 21, 2009 2:30 pm
The reality of what they are building is something else. Creative biotech scientists won't want to live and work in a chain of office parks set among cloverleaf intersections. What that kind of development will attract is government contractors in search of the lowest rent. A likely market niche is as a magnet for the castoffs who are priced out of Tysons Corner as it upgrades with the arrival of Metro.
by Ben Ross on Aug 21, 2009 3:18 pm
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200909/coolschools/allrankings.aspx
by darren on Aug 21, 2009 4:52 pm
by DB on Aug 21, 2009 4:52 pm
Indeed, perhaps JHUs approach, in general, should be a bit more "nuanced." It is notable that JHU, despite being such a premiere research institution, has not resulted in anywhere near the number of spin-offs you see in Boston, San Diego or Silicon valley.
by SJE on Aug 21, 2009 4:56 pm
They have chosen to ignore her wishes and the restrictions in the deed to get what they want.
by DB on Aug 21, 2009 5:11 pm
I live in a small condo complex on Great Seneca Highway between Muddy Branch (one of the busiest intersections in the County) and Lakelands. We have one entrance/exit and it is now nearly impossible to enter/exit; you take your life into your hands each time.
Very few of the people who occupy these residential "complexes" will be able to take advantage of the proposed light rail or commuter bus service. Many of us are 60+, some of us slightly handicapped, and find it impossible to shop without a car. This proposed industrial "park" (more like a city-within-a-city) would discourage us from shopping locally and, in fact, would encourage many of us to move to a less developed area.
If we had wanted an urban environment we would have chosen to live in The District, or Bethesda, or Baltimore. We have chosen this area because of the fact that it was less congested and was not overpowered by high rises.
I270 is surely "The Technology Corridor" but should it be that at the expense of its residents and individual taxpayers? The few people who would use the proffered transportation would be those travelling from the north or Shady Grove Metro to Medimmune or Johns Hopkins. It will add significant time onto their commutes.
Does anyone mention the documents which willed Belward Farm to Johns Hopkins? Residences on that property are not what she envisioned.
by Leslie Stewart on Aug 21, 2009 6:07 pm
The future of Montgomery County lies here, whether Montgomery will bumble along the Northern Virginia path of economic stagnation or will it take on the challenge of being an international economic center. Science City must be built.
by Cyrus on Aug 22, 2009 3:28 am
We are not NIMBYs from Takoma Park, we live in the area, have seen the bio-science companies expand and do not have a problem with that now or in the future. The problem is the scale of the "Science City" project in relation to the limitations of the area. Trust me, the local communities would not only be burdened, we would be buried in traffic and some neighborhoods would be destroyed. There are solutions that would work for the community and the bio-science companies if the county was willing to listen to the residents.
We are not trying to "shoot down" the project, we are trying to be heard. There are many different issues to examine before you make a judgement about this project or the people who will be affected.
by DB on Aug 22, 2009 9:27 am
This new community promises to build Montgomery County's tax base to provide world-class public services such as schools to its people.
~~~~~~~~
We already have a world-class public school system. Been there - done that.
by pta on Aug 22, 2009 10:54 am
This new community promises to build Montgomery County's tax base
____
And been there - done that too! No point in a large tax base with no oversight from County Council or County Executive!!!!
Taxpayer funds are flushed down the toilet on no bid contracts, county credit cards to take out employees to lunch and dinner, student funds used for staff vacations, two football fields in the same year for one high school.
The "large tax base" we have now is cutting services right and left to support the waste.
by pta on Aug 22, 2009 10:59 am
You really expect anyone to take you seriously after stating that? Remind me which state is constantly voted tops for businesses; remind me which one is having HUGE economic growth at Tysons.
Try again troll.
by MPC on Aug 22, 2009 6:16 pm
by Cyrus on Aug 22, 2009 7:00 pm
Universities and research institutions are crucial for attracting people and generating results to turn into companies. But to make a thriving technology region requires more than that, typically (a) VC money (b) entreprenureal culture (c)availability of appropriate physical and human resources. You can't just build a tech park and assume it will be populated. Indeed, the presence of vibrant PRIVATE innovative industry seems to be key to getting the right mix.
Right now, there is plenty of spare building space in the region, and plenty of talent. If Hopkins wants to stimulate technology, it should look at Stanford, USCD, Harvard and MIT and ask what they did that lead to their regional technology booms.
What I see, instead, is JHU trying to get the state of Maryland to pay for it to relocate to Montgomery Cty, the economic hub of the state. Of course, it is under the guise of "jobs" etc. They did the same in Baltimore.
While I would like to see JHU with a stronger local presence, pushing its way around may actually retard the growth of the biotech jobs the state wants.
1. If the community is not invested, or in opposition, you can see increased regulation that actually retards start ups.
2. Specifically developed parks etc may be more expensive than, say an old K-mart.
3. Universities and governments may be fonts of innovation but do not have a good history of making successful private companies. I see this all the time in my job. Too much university /government activity may drain, rather than stimulate companies.
Thus, if Maryland wants to stimulate the biotech and other sectors, I question JHU approach. I would rather see Maryland and Mont. CO look at its taxes, regulations etc. (a) Make it easier to convert unused buildings into the sort of facilities biotech companies want.
(b) Improve transit: lifestyle factors are usually important.
(c) Taxes. Montgomery Co and MD have been happily raising taxes for years, but not been particularly wise about its spending. The state govt in particular has been too willing to spend money on "projects" that don't actually boost the economy but reward well connected players. Maryland, for example spent tons in Baltimore: Ravens and Orioles stadiums and the Convention Center and hotel, e.g.
by SJE on Aug 22, 2009 7:43 pm
SJE is right, JHU needs to find an old department store type building to renovate - I will add near public transit and lobby for a euro-style grade-separated bike path system.
I work at a Discovery channel production center in SS. they converted an old Caldor buidling near SS metro into a world class post-production facility, added like 8 bike racks, a free bus, etc. there are condos across the street every which way... it's a magnet for the type of people they want to attract. I know dozens of people who ride their bicycles right into their edit suites (from outlying DC areas) or ride the metro. If they drive, it's from Baltimore City, DC, Arlington, etc... actual real cities. I doubt many creative professionals want to be living off some cloverleaf highway exit on I-270 in an office park superblock.
by Lee on Aug 22, 2009 10:15 pm
by DB on Aug 22, 2009 10:57 pm
As for Biotech: I personally turned down good jobs with companies that were located in areas that lacked, or were too far from the sort of livable environment I wanted. Its a personal decision, but there are plenty of people like me.
by SJE on Aug 23, 2009 3:06 pm
by diplomats74 on Aug 23, 2009 5:40 pm
If you were more informed you would know we are not talking about a "world class biotech facility ".
by DB on Aug 23, 2009 5:49 pm
by diplomats74 on Aug 23, 2009 5:54 pm
by DB on Aug 23, 2009 6:15 pm
by diplomats74 on Aug 23, 2009 6:24 pm
by DB on Aug 23, 2009 6:32 pm
by diplomats74 on Aug 23, 2009 6:34 pm
Another note about this push poll: it is a voluntary response survey, so it is completely invalid. This would be true even if it were a legitimate survey: the methodology is hopelessly flawed. Anyone who takes its results seriously should be sentenced to doing a semester of graduate survey courses.
by Chuck Coleman on Aug 23, 2009 9:35 pm
by SJE on Aug 24, 2009 12:12 pm
by diplomats74 on Aug 24, 2009 12:19 pm
If it is inevitable then why comment here? While people complain and try to take action, you can just lean back in your chair and smile, content with your superior knowledge of the way things work.
by mpopcraticus on Aug 24, 2009 12:53 pm
by diplomats74 on Aug 24, 2009 1:02 pm
I'm glad there are a lot of people who dont' feel the way you do.
by DB on Aug 24, 2009 1:19 pm
by diplomats74 on Aug 24, 2009 1:37 pm
by diplomats74 on Aug 24, 2009 1:51 pm
1. are you seriously comparing Baltimore with Cambridge, MA?
2. MontCo's is older and larger and more respected than Baltimore. If, as you assert, JHU is the reason for MD biotech, why is'nt Baltimore the hub, and MontCo the poor sibling?
by SJE on Aug 24, 2009 2:07 pm
I would take a look at the reports made by the The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore in particular the one on Biosciences
http://www.greaterbaltimore.org/Publications/Download-Reports.aspx
by diplomats74 on Aug 24, 2009 2:16 pm
JHU is the only university to have crossed the $1 billion dollar research dollar mark in the nation. It's research spending budget ($1.55 billion) is double the next university competitor (UCSF at $780 milllion), and has lead the nation in federal research dollars for the past 29 year in a row.
JHU's research budget is 4-5 times larger than MIT and Harvard's research budget.
JHU is one of the primary reasons why Maryland is a biotech hub to begin with.
by LOL on Aug 24, 2009 3:24 pm
by diplomats74 on Aug 24, 2009 3:29 pm
Speaking from a person from Cambridge, MA who is now living in Baltimore...
"If Hopkins wants to stimulate technology, it should look at Stanford, USCD, Harvard and MIT and ask what they did that lead to their regional technology booms."
The Science biopark at JHU's med campus is an exact replica of MIT's biopark. I would know since I lived two blocks away from MIT's biopark in Cambridge, MA. They event hired the same company that built MIT's biopark to build JHU's biopark (forest enterprises, check them out)
Montco is the brain center of the Maryland region. JHU's APL lab in Laurel, MD spends $800 million on research alone for NASA/DoD. That's equivalent to how much they spend in Baltimore alone...
by LOL on Aug 24, 2009 3:32 pm
JHU's research enterprise isn't confined to one exact spot. 1/2 of JHU's R&D budget is spent in Laurel, MD... Hopkins' R&D activity isn't confined to Baltimore, but is spread throughout the state of Maryland.
by LOL on Aug 24, 2009 3:37 pm
I hope for you guys to be able to move forward with this proposition constructively. I mean, I wouldn't want to see Cambridge, MA lose out to Mont co. but I truly believe that what JHU can bring to the table can truly rival that of Harvard or MIT's influence in Cambridge, MA...
This project has huge potential in the future (if it ever gets done lol)
by LOL on Aug 24, 2009 3:51 pm
Don't believe their marketing rhetoric. They have been selling smoke and mirrors since the former owner died and they decided they could do whatever they pleased with the property, regardless of the deed restrictions or their promises to her.
by DB on Aug 24, 2009 4:20 pm
by Bossi on Aug 24, 2009 5:43 pm
However, APL has very little relevance to biotech, unless I am very much mistaken.
Also, my understanding is that most of APLs work is NASA contracts, a lot of which is more of a service role, and less of a "discovery" role that generates new ideas. Thus, the size of the grant is misleading, and not readily compared to, say, NSF or NIH grants. Otherwise, you might as well say that Lockheed Martin is the regional research powerhouse, since the size of its military contracts is enormous.
by SJE on Aug 24, 2009 5:52 pm
Some of our most of our notable inventions being derivative of military purpose. What would you call these? Services to NASA? http://sc.leadix.com/mechatronics/articles/all_articles.php?art_id=788
Research funding at Johns Hopkins finances everything from studies into the therapeutic potential of stem cells to projects aimed at quelling the spread of malaria, and from exploration of the solar system to the development of scientific tools so small they can only be seen with a microscope.
Btw, JHU APL has built more space aircraft than most aerospace institutions across the globe. APL designed, built, and will direct Messenger, New Horizons, NEAR; the latest in a series of Hopkins-supported spacecraft that are helping to reshape our understanding of the universe.
by LOL on Aug 24, 2009 10:55 pm
And rolled into this master plan revision, the properties next door will be rezoned for 25,000 more people and 5,700 housing units, lunch-type restaurants and retail because Johns Hopkins Real Estate likes the sound of "live work play". Keep in mind this area is already highly congested and even though they are using the CCT as an excuse to propose this boondoggle we all know the CCT will be minimally useful in handling the huge increase in population.
The bottom line is...an organization that does good things does not automatically have license to behave like an 800lb gorilla on steroids. We expect and support the SENSIBLE expansion of the hospital and the bioscience companies but the current proposals are outrageous.
by DB on Aug 25, 2009 8:44 am
by Marilyn Balcombe, Executive Director, GGCC on Aug 25, 2009 10:21 am
by LMFAO on Sep 12, 2009 3:18 pm
Read your post about misinformation. Irrespective of who pays who for what, the nefarious manner in which Johns Hopkins is proceeding in order to accomplish their goals (along with their agents, known and unknown), will have a tremendous negative effect upon the entire community of Gaithersburg; it will disrupt the lives of thousands in the immediate area, people who settled here because of the serene bedroom-community atmosphere. Query, Ms. Balcombe, if your position would be the same if your home was on the "endangered species list" of homes and property, which will inevitably fall prey to this urban sprawl monstrosity? Who do you think you are fooling? While we are talking about misinformation, why don't you let people know that whoever, and whatever, gets in your way, will be dealt with, with no regards for their rights or happiness. Tell them about the incredible disruption to their lives for years during and after construction. Instead of birds, trees and flowers in the surrounding area, there will be cars, trucks, horns, traffic jams, pavement, traffic lights and signs, all for the benefit of who, not the people of Gaithersburg, that is clear.
by Theodore Polner on Sep 15, 2009 9:29 am
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