Hughes Institute's Tax Break Targeted

When the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Chevy Chase announced in 2002 that it would bring some of the world's top scientists to a sleek new research center in Loudoun County, it was hailed as an economic boon, perhaps planting the seed for a biomedical corridor.

But next week, officials will dredge up a controversy that has dogged the Janelia Farm Research Campus for years: a tax break totaling more than $3.6 million this year -- the largest tax exemption for a single property owner in the county.

On June 5, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider whether to renew the exemption, which eventually could exceed $6 million a year.

"It's a poor use of our citizens' tax dollars," said Supervisor Stephen J. Snow (R-Dulles). "I could use that money for our young people. I want that money for affordable housing."

Some, however, say the controversy has less to do with money and more to do with the organization's support of embryonic stem cell research, which many supervisors oppose.

"In my opinion, philosophical differences on Howard Hughes Medical Institute's ideas on stem cell research might be part of the objection," said Supervisor James Burton (I-Blue Ridge), who supports the tax exemption. "It's an ideological objection."

Snow and Supervisor Mick Staton Jr. (R-Sugarland Run), another critic of the tax break, said they were not familiar with the institute's stem cell efforts. Staton stressed that he supports the institute's presence in Loudoun but not the tax break.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has a $15 billion endowment and is one of the world's largest philanthropies.

"I don't think anyone can argue having them in Loudoun County is a bad thing," Staton said. "What I'm saying is they don't need a tax exemption."

Though the institute funds scientists who engage in embryonic stem cell research, that is not the mission of Janelia Farm, said Avice Meehan, a spokeswoman for the organization.

"It is part of our broader research program, but it is not even an anticipated area of research at Janelia Farm," she said. "This a very technology-, neuroscience-focused campus."

Named after the farm that once operated there, the research center opened last year with great fanfare. Nearly 4,000 visitors lined up to take a peek at the rambling, glass-encased building, designed by architect Rafael Viñoly and sculpted into the side of a hill overlooking the Potomac River.