The Corridor Cities Transitway
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The Gaithersburg West Master Plan has been contrived to enable Johns Hopkins Real Estate to
build 4.6 million square feet of space for 15,000 people in 12- to 15-story buildings on Belward
Farm. Hopkins would like to have 6.5 million square feet which is just shy of the size of the
Pentagon which has 6.6 million square feet of space.
The County has dubbed the area a "transit-oriented development" which can be treated as an
urban area for the purposes of transportation tests since the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) will
pass through the area. The urban transportation tests allow a much higher level of congestion,
which has been used by the County to justify the higher level of density.
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) said the ridership is currently in place to apply for
Federal funding for the construction of the CCT. Therefore, there is no justification for the
County's assertion that 50,000 people must be added to the area in order to secure for funding of
the CCT.
The CCT is expected to carry only about 12% to 15% of the additional people leaving 85% or tens of
thousands of additional cars on the already congested roads.
The MTA is investigating alternative alignments for the CCT that would avoid crossing the length
of Belward Farm which would help preserve the character of the farm. The alternative alignments
would also lessen the potential automobile and pedestrian havoc at the corner of Great Seneca
Highway and Muddy Branch Road, and fewer homes would be destroyed in the construction of
the right-of-way for the CCT.
We strongly support the alternative alignments that would avoid crossing Belward Farm and wish
to thank the Maryland Transit Administration for being responsive to our questions and concerns.
build 4.6 million square feet of space for 15,000 people in 12- to 15-story buildings on Belward
Farm. Hopkins would like to have 6.5 million square feet which is just shy of the size of the
Pentagon which has 6.6 million square feet of space.
The County has dubbed the area a "transit-oriented development" which can be treated as an
urban area for the purposes of transportation tests since the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) will
pass through the area. The urban transportation tests allow a much higher level of congestion,
which has been used by the County to justify the higher level of density.
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) said the ridership is currently in place to apply for
Federal funding for the construction of the CCT. Therefore, there is no justification for the
County's assertion that 50,000 people must be added to the area in order to secure for funding of
the CCT.
The CCT is expected to carry only about 12% to 15% of the additional people leaving 85% or tens of
thousands of additional cars on the already congested roads.
The MTA is investigating alternative alignments for the CCT that would avoid crossing the length
of Belward Farm which would help preserve the character of the farm. The alternative alignments
would also lessen the potential automobile and pedestrian havoc at the corner of Great Seneca
Highway and Muddy Branch Road, and fewer homes would be destroyed in the construction of
the right-of-way for the CCT.
We strongly support the alternative alignments that would avoid crossing Belward Farm and wish
to thank the Maryland Transit Administration for being responsive to our questions and concerns.