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. JHU is
requesting even more space. 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 said that the area could be called a "transit-oriented development" and could therefore
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 has 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 over tens
of thousands of additional cars on the already congested roads.
Belward Farm is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and is designated as a County
historic resource. Therefore, the Maryland Historical Trust has instructed the Maryland Transportation
Authority (MTA) to use "avoidance and minimization" strategies for Belward Farm. The MTA is
investigating alternative alignments for the CCT that would avoid crossing the length of the farm. These
alternative alignments would 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.
million square feet of space for 15,000 people in 12- to 15-story buildings on Belward Farm. JHU is
requesting even more space. 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 said that the area could be called a "transit-oriented development" and could therefore
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 has 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 over tens
of thousands of additional cars on the already congested roads.
Belward Farm is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and is designated as a County
historic resource. Therefore, the Maryland Historical Trust has instructed the Maryland Transportation
Authority (MTA) to use "avoidance and minimization" strategies for Belward Farm. The MTA is
investigating alternative alignments for the CCT that would avoid crossing the length of the farm. These
alternative alignments would 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.