Lakeforest Mall Master Plan Amendment Adopted by Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council

The Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council adopted the Lakeforest Mall Master Plan amendments, MP-1-21 and MP-2-21, on August 16, 2021. Over the past year, City staff, along with elected and appointed officials and the public, have been working on the Master Plan to guide future redevelopment of the mall, with a goal of ensuring the creation of a vibrant, sustainable community with amenities, housing, and job opportunities for all.

“A lot of things have to come together for a redevelopment to happen, but what we’re doing with this Master Plan update is laying the groundwork for it,” said Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman. “When someone does come in, who is able to acquire all of the parcels and bring a plan to the table, they will have a much better sense of what the public envisions and we’ll be further along the path toward the Grade A redevelopment that our community expects and deserves.”

The Plan recommends rezoning the site from C-2 (General Commercial) to MXD (Mixed Used Development). It envisions a mixed-use community with a range of housing types and commercial uses, perhaps providing for experiential uses like makerspaces, helping entrepreneurs and small businesses with incubators, or perhaps attracting larger biotech users. The Plan envisions these uses being anchored by attractive, usable green and open spaces, with the entire project being connected internally and externally with a multi-modal transportation system.

A copy of the adopted Master Plan is available on the “Future of Lakeforest” project page on the City’s website. For more information about the Lakeforest Mall Master Plan and the public process that led to its creation, please contact the City of Gaithersburg Planning Department at 301-258-6330 or email [email protected]. An in-depth article about the Lakeforest Master Plan will appear in the fall edition of inGaithersburg, the City’s twice-yearly features magazine. It will be mailed to all households in mid-October and will be available online.