Howard University wants biotech campus in Beltsville

Howard University wants to build a research and development campus in Prince George's County that would rival Duke's Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and Johns Hopkins University's biomedical corridor in Montgomery County, university officials say.

"This aligns with our teaching and research mission. More importantly, it is good for Prince George's County," Artis Hampshire-Cowan, senior vice president and secretary at Howard University, said in an interview Friday.

Howard has owned 108 acres in a relatively quiet, residential Beltsville neighborhood since 1971.

University officials recently asked the County Council to rezone the land, which is part of the county's rural tier, from open space to I-3, or an industrial employment park zone. The County Council sits as the District Council when it hears zoning cases.

The council approved the request last month as part of discussions relating to the land-use plan for the northwestern part of the county. Howard's next step would be to get lawmakers to pass legislation permitting research and development in an industrial zone.

Legislation is expected to be introduced this month to allow research and development in industrial zones on campuses similar to the one Howard is proposing. Hampshire-Cowan said the university isn't sure when the project would be completed.

"It will be a very positive impact on the county to have a new biotech campus associated with a major institution," said County Council Chairman Thomas E. Dernoga (D-Laurel).

Howard officials said the campus would bring an influx of jobs, but some residents who live in the vicinity said they are concerned about what else the campus might bring, including traffic and a negative effect on the environment.

Mary Kaye Vavasour, who lives near the site, said she worries about waste disposal and the county's ability to deal with an emergency. "Our local fire department doesn't have the capability to handle an explosion or fire," she said. "Certainly our Beltsville fire department couldn't handle a hazmat situation."

A building on the site, which would need capital improvements, houses the university's Center for Atmospheric Sciences and the Center for Climate System Observation. The program trains students as part of NASA's effort to increase the number of minorities who obtain advanced degrees in science-related fields.

Robert Duffy, a planning supervisor for the Prince George's County Planning Department, said the university has been able to do some research at the site because the work predated the existing use.

"There has been this misconception out there that Howard is coming to Prince George's County. We're not coming to Prince George County," Hampshire-Cowan said. "We've been there."