Construction of an exterior stairway at MedImmune is on hold for now.

Gaithersburg’s Planning and Code Administration Director Greg Ossont said the work was halted on July 20 because the current design is now different than what was approved back in 2008 by the Gaithersburg Planning Commission.

“The original approved staircase was straight but they wanted to jog it with right angles to discourage skateboarders so that requires a minor amendment,” said Ossont. “The contractor just went ahead and did the angles so [staff] stopped them and had them come in and get an amendent.”

Ossont said the design changes detailed in the minor site plan amendment require staff approval and the application will not be forwarded to the city’s Planning Commission for review.

“If we don’t approve it they have to rip it out, but that probably won’t be the case as this is a better design than the original – safer too,” he said.

Liz Huntley, MedImmune’s senior manager for community affairs, said the stairs are being added to the campus for the convenience of the company’s employees.

“There is a bus stop located at the base of the stairs and we have many employees who utilize public transportation,” said Huntley. “The stairs will provide a safe and convenient path for these employees to get from the campus to street-level and vice versa.”

According to Ossont, staff did not discover the changes earlier because inspections had not been performed at the site. He said this is not unusual.

“Very common for contractors, especially on large projects, to just roll out and make subtle changes in the field without notifying anyone,” he said. “It does get to be very frustrating for the inspections staff when there are 10 or 20 subcontractors on a job and they’re doing things they shouldn’t be doing.”

As part of the minor amendment to final plan, MedImmune is required to notify adjacent property owners of the proposed changes. In this case, notification letters were sent to Saul Holdings (owner of Kentlands commercial buildings), Syn-Ridge LLC, Kentlands LLC, and Kentlands Retail. Quince Orchard Park and the State Highway Administration, which Ossont said has a perpetual easement in the area for MedImmune to build the staircase, were not formally notified of the design changes.

Just last month, the city issued a stop work order for some work on the rooftop of another MedImmune building in Quince Orchard Park after questions were raised by The Town Courier about elevation changes. Turns out that rooftop work did not have proper zoning approval either and MedImmune was asked to file a minor site plan amendment as well. City staff approved those changes within a week.

MedImmune’s construction site averages 350 workers a day.

After reading in The Town Courier that residents were raising questions about the nearby construction, MedImmune officials have decided to provide even more information to the Quince Orchard Park (QOP) community about the escalating work.

“We have decided to include more general information in the monthly updates as it’s clear that residents are extremely curious,” wrote Elizabeth Huntley in an e-mail dated July 8 to QOP Community Manager Ruchita Patel.

According to Huntley’s latest update, construction is intensifying. She said the company is averaging 350 workers per day at the main site known as “Area 6” along Great Seneca Highway, and company officials say that number will grow to a peak of 375 workers per day in August.

“The installation of the pre-cast structure for the expansion of garage two is complete, and the balance of the work at the garage is expected to be complete by the end of September,” Huntley said. “The taller of the two tower cranes will be dismantled and removed from the jobsite within the next 30 days.”

Passsersby may also soon see changes on the outside of the steel structure, Huntley said, as crews work to install windows and glass in order to finish the exterior skin by the end of the summer.

In addition, motorists may note two new MedImmune monument marker signs that were installed this month along Quince Orchard Road. The signs are approximately 90 inches high and 235 inches long, and they replace the former Quince Orchard Park Corporate Center signs.

Gaithersburg’s Permits and Inspect-ions Director Wes Burnette said MedImmune’s construction of the newest parking deck is complete and work is beginning on construction of two on grade parking lots.

“This phase of building construction is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2011,” said Burnette.

Planning and Code Administration Director Greg Ossont said Burnette and other city officials will begin attending QOP neighborhood meetings regularly while construction is continuing.

“This something new that I am trying in an effort to be proactive in addressing concerns and hear suggestions from residents with development projects nearby,” Ossont said.

A recent Council of Governments (COG) publication reports that the MedImmune office building project was the largest project in Montgomery County in 2009, adding more than 390,000 square feet of space with an approximate value of $50 million.

I awaken to the sounds of construction coming from the ever-expanding MedImmune across Great Seneca Highway. Normally it doesn’t bother me as I always thought of MedImmune as a friendly company whose expansion brings both career and economic opportunities the people of Gaithersburg, but after being ordered to leave the parking garage in the middle of the 4th of July fireworks display by a security officer who suddenly appeared (after we were there for at least 45 minutes before the fireworks started) threatening us with calling the police if we did not vacate the premises, my opinion of this ever-expanding giant has greatly diminished.

We were questioned as to whether or not we were employees of MedImmune, and when a few of the employees did not step up to the plate and stand up for us I thought, how un-American can you get? How do you tell a group of parents and kids that they have to leave and miss the fireworks display, especially when people were parked all over the roads and parking lots along Quince Orchard Boulevard where we moved to and still had a great 4th?

I think Medimune should host a 4th of July Party for the community to show their appreciation of our support!

— Diane Gerber
Kentlands