BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD (WBFF) — Baltimore Councilwoman Odette Ramos said she might consider a “different” approach in the future following a dustup over a list of demands she sent to Johns Hopkins University, but the councilwoman maintained that her actions were for the good of her constituents.
The letter in question was sent to the university in April amid discussions between the school and the councilwoman about a proposed Data Science and AI Institute. The college hopes to build the facility at the intersection of Wyman Park Drive and Remington Avenue, an area on the edge of the university’s Homewood campus that abuts homes as well as Stony Run.
In the letter, Ramos outlined a lengthy and lofty list of demands, some of which were associated with the project, and others that were completely unrelated. Among them were $20 million annually for the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund over five years, $10 million invested into the Waverly neighborhood and Greenmount Avenue, $10 million for a yet-to-be-created city land bank and a dog park in the area of Stony Run.
The letter ties the demands directly to a piece of legislation Ramos had been preparing to introduce. The bill, which was introduced last month, would make changes to a zoning district for college campuses, directly impacting plans for the AI Institute.
Read more online at The Baltimore Sun.