Johns Hopkins University on Monday filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the family who donated the land for the planned “Science City” in Gaithersburg.
Filed in November, the lawsuit claims that the university breached an agreement made with the family when then-owner Elizabeth Banks donated her 138-acre farm. When Banks donated the land, she did so with the condition that the 108-acre western portion be used only for academic purposes.
The university plans to build 23 buildings, some as tall as 13 stories, in an effort to enhance research and development along the I-270 corridor, according to its application with the Montgomery County Planning Board. The university estimates that about half of the building space will be used for offices, about 40 percent will be dedicated to life sciences and 10 percent will be retail.
But because the plans are subject to change, the complaint should be dismissed, the university wrote in its motion. The court should also make a summary judgment on questions about the contract between the family and Johns Hopkins, the university said.
