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The article, ["Critics of ‘Science City' seek shifts," Nov. 18] may have left several misconceptions that need to be corrected. The Gaithersburg North Potomac - Rockville Coalition represents, at last count, 460 residents in 69 different subdivisions and areas in western Montgomery County and our focus is reducing the scale of the Gaithersburg West Master Plan. Our Web site, www.scale-it-back.com, has served as a collaborative site for community and civic organizations in matters relating to the master plan. The person who coined the phrase "scale it back" for our signs, the banner and the website, Michael Weiss, is a Westleigh resident and a member of the coalition. Mr. Weiss also wrote the wording for the signs, "Science – Yes, City – No", to state our position that we support science and the biomedical community but are opposed to having a city of 55,000 additional people built in the middle of our established suburban residential community, as proposed by the master plan.

The coalition opposes the scale of the development proposed by the master plan and has provided viable alternatives to the planning board and the council for many of the troublesome issues in the plan. It is our hope that the county officials will adopt our suggestions, even though they have rejected the alternatives of other groups.

Specifically we support the following:

- The biomedical community, and advocate a sensible increase in the density for the Life Sciences Center. The density proposed by the master plan must be reduced to minimize community and environmental impacts. Employment opportunities should be available throughout the county.

- The Corridor Cities Transitway with Bus Rapid Transit on the original alignment because of the huge cost savings without sacrificing functionality. This alignment would reduce the number of homes that would be destroyed and the neighborhoods that would need to be reconfigured.

- The development of a minimally intrusive, Jeffersonian-style academic or medical campus on Belward Farm which would be in agreement with the wishes of the late owner, Elizabeth Banks, and would be compatible with the adjacent residential neighborhoods. Ms. Banks sold the farm to Johns Hopkins for a gift price based on promises from the university that they would maintain the character of the farm.

- A very strong biomedical presence in the life sciences areas and Belward in order to maintain the integrity of the Life Sciences Center. Presently only 50 percent of the businesses must be related to the biomedical industry.

- A stringent set of staging requirements to ensure that the area is not thrown into gridlock by development before the infrastructure is in place.

The petition referred to in the article was developed by Anne Deslattes Mays, who is a scientist and a resident of Washingtonian Woods, a community adjacent to Belward Farm. There is a link to the petition on the coalition's Web site, www.scale-it-back.com . Currently 376 residents have registered their opposition to the Gaithersburg West Master Plan by signing the petition. Most of the names on the petition are in addition to the 460 residents represented by the coalition.

While we would all welcome a master plan that did not involve an increase in density, we are realistic in our expectations and have known for years that Belward Farm would be developed and the life sciences areas expanded. However, we strongly urge the council to give our plan full consideration and work with the coalition in order to craft a realistic compromise that would serve both the residents and the biomedical community.

Donna Baron, North Potomac

The writer is coordinator of a coalition opposed to large-scale development in and around Gaithersburg.