Montgomery County has its own little Field of Dreams happening right now with the development of Science City in Gaithersburg. But to get to the status of world-renowned research portal, experts say you’ve got to have the goods to attract the best of the best.
At a panel discussion hosted by the Urban Land Institute Tuesday, Johns Hopkins University Senior Director of Development David McDonough said good real estate comes before great science.
“How do we get great people here,” he said. “If my choice is Harvard Square or Silicon Valley or Gaithersburg … I think I’m going to Boston or Silicon Valley. We need to make this a great place to live, work and play.”
He said getting a key anchor tenant like the National Cancer Institute is also a move that will attract more researchers and spark innovation.
“If you can have [that] … Chinese pharmaceuticals and South Korean pharmaceuticals start saying we think this is where we want to be and it leads to the collaboration of new tenants,” he said.
Science City, just off Interstate 270 in Montgomery County, is also home to Johns Hopkins and the Universities at Shady Grove. The planned 900 acre, 20 million square feet commercial space would feature laboratory, office and retail, and is projected to bring up to 40,000 jobs and about 9,000 residences over the next 40 years.
Tuesday’s panel was part of ULI Washington’s annual Real Estate Trends Conference.
