From the City Manager: Bulldozers, Cranes and Hammers - There’s a Lot Going On
Posted 10/12/2011

October, 2011

There is a lot of dirt moving around Gaithersburg these days.  From renovations to emerging neighborhoods, a renewed sense of vitality has taken hold after several years of economic downturn.  Here are updates on some of the projects taking shape in our community. 

The developers of Crown Farm have obtained grading permits and are building stormwater and sediment control facilities to protect adjoining streams.  Construction of the infrastructure for roadways and utilities for the first two of six Crown Farm neighborhoods will begin this fall.  The first two neighborhoods include 1,254 residential units in a variety of apartments, condominiums, townhouses and single family homes, and 300,000 square feet of commercial space, including Capital One Bank, which was just approved for the corner of Sam Eig and Diamondback.  Crown Farm will take several years to build out.

The Vistas at Orchard Ridge Drive and Winter Walk Drive began construction in the fall of 2010.  The approved development includes 13 single-family detached houses, 38 townhouses, and 32 multi-family condominium units.  Thirty units have been completed and an additional 21 are under construction.

Olde Towne is home to several significant projects.  Archstone Gaithersburg Station, which includes 389 apartments and 18,000 square feet of retail space, is under construction along East Diamond Avenue.  In conjunction with this project, Teachers Way is being extended to North Summit Ave.  The Summit Shopping Center at Girard Street and North Summit Avenue was demolished to make room for the 300-unit apartment complex, Residences at Hidden Creek.  A 6,726 square foot office building has also been approved on East Diamond Avenue near the Olde Towne Youth Center.

Communications Supply Corporation (CSC), relocated to Gaithersburg from Clarksburg at the Girard Place Business Park on East Diamond Avenue. CSC will occupy over 70,000 square feet of commercial office and warehouse space, and we are pleased to have been able to work with First Potomac Management and CSC to facilitate this move.

In September, the Planning Commission approved a site plan amendment for construction of LA Fitness, a 45,200 square foot facility at Quince Orchard Plaza, replacing the former Circuit City building.  South of Quince Orchard Road and Bank Street, M&T Bank is building a standalone facility which should be completed later this year. 

The Watkins Mill Town Center/Parklands development is a multi-year project being built in phases.  To date, 111 units have received final occupancy, with 46 other units near completion.  The Parklands project includes 94 single-family detached homes, 180 single-family attached and 142 two-over-two stacked townhouses. The Town Center portion of the project has not yet been submitted for Planning Commission plan review.

Kaiser Permanente is building a 200,000-square foot state-of-the-art medical center and outpatient patient facility at Monument Center, located just north of IBM at North Frederick Avenue and Watkins Mill Road.  It is scheduled for completion in spring of 2012.  The Planning Commission has approved a 90,000-square foot, 125-room Hampton Inn for the Monument Center campus as well.

Spectrum, located at the corner of Watkins Mill Road extended and North Frederick Avenue, has begun grading work.  The 6th District Police Station has submitted a building permit application and should be under construction soon.  Additionally, that project includes 105,400 square feet of commercial uses; a 30,000 square foot Senior Center; and 224 multi-family residential units.

And finally, after years of anticipation, construction for a new Gaithersburg High School has begun.  This Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building will be the largest high school in Montgomery County and the design includes the latest in stormwater management, green roofs, and solar and thermal energy facilities.  The original high school building constructed in 1951 will be demolished in the fall of 2013, when the new building is complete. 

The "City Projects" button on the homepage of the City's website leads you to background information and updates on many of these projects.  Contact our Planning and Code Administration at 301-258-6330 or plancode@gaithersburgmd.gov to learn more.