[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6000123,"mediaKeyId","5842855-81b55fdcdebc634eb591db69f16e7ec7","parentId",5842855,"title","Most Gaithersburg residents commute out for work; telework and office vacancies rose after pandemic","audioSeconds",161,"startMs",1945000,"endMs",2106000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5842855-81b55fdcdebc634eb591db69f16e7ec7&start=1945&end=2106","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5842855-81b55fdcdebc634eb591db69f16e7ec7/thumbnail_1945000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6000123/Gaithersburg-City/Montgomery-County/Maryland/Most-Gaithersburg-residents-commute-out-for-work-telework-and-office-vacancies-rose-after-pandemic","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6000123-feb312f39f5a15ae65ae227c723609d1/orig.mp4?Expires=1773078843&Signature=a~ORlQSIMQ7K89wCzNoTZhM0EmrH1P20lxjfk7~y2oFKDJ8er2j0mahMiOvdKkOq~IANpTRZ2Ljl49G4vpgS2QyRlKZPfD5oa5sNJ-AmPRNf2ccchszmTESBQ2LLyw24o35ahw~xuJavz-cRKcxigLxvXai1ZkP3tK6Y2OAWm3sMEC82px6vFe447uZpZFlhO8kkfli2fia3sob0btsb8ijHeWChDWuszxZwnuw6aatVfYh6MwG~CQ6aARjS2bOGIuKM9c8uBwuijn59y84rV8K1Hnstx6deu-lOxf6c0hr0G9tZ2aNvLYxlmpt9Bhc0gqPgRcGIZ89axrxZQUWMWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Gaithersburg, MD","date","2025-09-09T01:49:52Z","article","City planners reported that commuting and employment patterns in Gaithersburg continue to reflect a regional labor market with most residents working outside city limits and most jobs filled by workers who live elsewhere.

\"In 2022, 90% of Gaithersburg's employed residents worked outside city limits,\" Emily Fishman, a city planning staff member, said, and she added that 93% of workers who were employed in Gaithersburg lived outside its boundaries. Staff noted that the share of residents who both live and work in the city has remained steady at approximately 7% of jobs and 10% of employed residents.

The report documented pandemic‑era shifts in commuting: the share of residents driving alone declined modestly (staff reported an 11% decline in drive‑alone mode share between 2015 and 2022), public transportation (bus and metro) dropped from 15% to 8% and teleworking among residents rose from about 4% to 20% during the same interval. Staff also flagged a data anomaly: LEHD and tract‑level employment data attributed an unusually large job count to tract 7007.27 (Deer Park), which staff said appears overstated in the 2022 data and likely represents employment located elsewhere in the city.

On the commercial side, staff cited CoStar inventory data that the city has more than 15 million square feet of occupied commercial space supporting just over 38,000 jobs, and an additional 1.5 million square feet of vacant space. Office stock was identified as the oldest commercial category with an average building age near 60 years and an office vacancy rate above 11%, which staff and council members noted reflects broader telework and office‑market trends.

Staff used MWCOG Round 10 forecasts and the active development pipeline to show that most forecast jobs can be accommodated by projects in the pipeline (noting that more than 80% of nonresidential pipeline square footage is office, research and industrial). Council members and presenters discussed whether some approved nonresidential projects could be converted to residential uses if market demand changes and how transportation and land‑use updates should work together to increase local job opportunities and connectivity.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Mayor & Council Joint Work Session September 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Staff reported that in 2022 about 90% of Gaithersburg's employed residents worked outside city limits and 93% of workers in the city lived elsewhere; telework rose from about 4% to 20% while public transit use declined and office vacancy increased.","taxTitle","Gaithersburg City, Montgomery County, Maryland","taxId",4997,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6000127,"Gaithersburg grows more diverse and older; foreign‑born share holds near 40%",165,831000,996000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5842855-81b55fdcdebc634eb591db69f16e7ec7&start=831&end=996","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5842855-81b55fdcdebc634eb591db69f16e7ec7/thumbnail_831000.jpg","/articles/6000127/Gaithersburg-City/Montgomery-County/Maryland/Gaithersburg-grows-more-diverse-and-older-foreignborn-share-holds-near-40","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6000127-19b4742b6d0929f930f40633c77a3d43/orig.mp4?Expires=1773078843&Signature=dqY9HiHqVFht93DaJNJZWXtHtR4JCPBTtvYtRhVzxQwsYBIZABgT269TbbOLpgH5X4iTKlD-1DzqDXRlnZH2OTSI80Al0eTpxdiMYZD59Izq2RfwaxJ8rfD40u1o5shHiYmVgIwMkGGY0Nw4cPk2bgYxLvphBLgR9x9Gd4iVORF8xaI0QfHtbZSi3Fn9veTpsAarezwhmjsWiwLLbzXkWCp~Gnx1EaSYh9fv0pscz8XiSGXRn81Jf16ai~sP~WjPLLDRsnjFXRTPQrLtwO-2tU88DWlpeQ-RkF27p7fuyK7zg65JH~uAcuejT8q0mlhSazHkjhc1C9KCgPhABxUhCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City planning staff said Gaithersburg has continued the demographic trends first noted in the 2019 visioning report: the city is more diverse, slightly older and has a substantial foreign‑born population.

\"Gaithersburg has been a very diverse city since the 2000 census,\" Kirk Eby, a city planning staff member, told the work session. Staff presented ACS‑based measures showing the white non‑Hispanic share declined from just under one‑half to about one‑third of the population and that people of color increased from just over one‑half to roughly two‑thirds of the population. Between 2016 and 2022 the fastest growth was in the other‑race and multiple‑race categories, followed by Asian populations, while the white non‑Hispanic and Black/African‑American populations declined in absolute or relative terms in that interval.

Staff also reported that about 40% of city residents are foreign‑born, with roughly half of foreign‑born residents naturalized—figures largely unchanged since 2016 but that, between 2016 and 2022, the foreign‑born population grew faster than the native‑born population. The report flagged equity emphasis areas (EEAs) developed by MWCOG in 2021 and noted that many census tracts with higher concentrations of people of color and higher rates of poverty overlap those EEAs.

Eby said the city’s median age rose from 34.8 in 2016 to 37.4 in 2022 and that the 65+ cohort showed the largest growth among age groups. The presentation linked the rise in single‑person households (27% of households) and the growth in older populations as part of the explanation for changing household composition.

Council members asked staff to examine anomalies in the data—particularly shifts in race categories—and to explore whether increases in multi‑race reporting in the 2020 census and ACS explain observed declines in some single‑race categories. Staff said they would investigate further and could cross‑tabulate multiple‑race responses with specific race categories to clarify changes.","Staff reported that Gaithersburg’s population has become more diverse since 2010, the white non‑Hispanic share fell to about one‑third, people of color rose to about two‑thirds, the median age increased to 37.4 in 2022, and roughly 40% of residents are foreign‑born.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6000132,"Multifamily growth dominates Gaithersburg housing pipeline; staff flags shortage of larger units and high renter cost burden",186,1134000,1320000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5842855-81b55fdcdebc634eb591db69f16e7ec7&start=1134&end=1320","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5842855-81b55fdcdebc634eb591db69f16e7ec7/thumbnail_1134000.jpg","/articles/6000132/Gaithersburg-City/Montgomery-County/Maryland/Multifamily-growth-dominates-Gaithersburg-housing-pipeline-staff-flags-shortage-of-larger-units-and-high-renter-cost-burden","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6000132-81f278cb3c163c90519e31c85fc6a425/orig.mp4?Expires=1773078843&Signature=bRtxtqnBThoOGW0f0AASWaQ111rKPF8bSwCHS4PDtTJhREG2WReKsnw5ab2qnJcWdsDFkmj9~pKblNYYXs6BsLKPQRLX98c3Jc8gGPjcT38cRaf0zH7SnDN-03-SfiwROcHu8GsQ3OP1I0OPR-MMue~rZp~iOK1~03JMUt3xepsNyzJsZJzOUNdjbDqnL77fUOC6qP87srOMtQG9xtXmStFZQasXatq0JtBZb-hQO-VVME-YCM5XlxseMChr8yZsiMuzEo5GeWoZOhZz9qMM59szYQWY5DCHBa3vPQq0gqygyty0KCsZAt~H1btpjXRyBAHqKnoHmM7cI2dXwARxlA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City planning staff told the mayor, council and planning commission on Sept. 8 that recent housing growth in Gaithersburg has been dominated by multifamily rental units and that the supply of larger rental units is limited. \"Housing growth in the city in recent years has primarily been multifamily,\" Laura Mayfield, a city planning staff member, said.

Mayfield and Kirk Eby presented data showing about half of the city’s housing stock is multifamily and that the active residential pipeline through the forecast period is mostly multifamily rental. Using CoStar data, staff said most multifamily rental units are studios or one‑bedrooms and that larger units have consistently lower vacancy rates, which may indicate unmet demand for two‑ and three‑bedroom units. \"We calculated citywide vacancy rates by unit size, and saw that the larger units had lower vacancy rates, which could indicate unmet demand for larger units,\" Mayfield said.

Staff summarized affordability measures: median gross rent rose (adjusted for inflation) from 2010 to 2022 (the largest increase between 2010 and 2016), and rents in Gaithersburg are higher than the metropolitan area average but lower than Rockville. Mayfield said roughly half of renter households are cost‑burdened (spending 30–50% of income) or severely cost‑burdened (over 50%). The presentation cites a housing supply gap for households with incomes between about $80,000–$120,000 and for those under $40,000.

The city’s housing element requires 15% affordable units in new multifamily projects, staff noted. At the work session speakers and members of the public raised policy questions—whether the city should require a share of larger units in multifamily projects to meet household sizes that average about 2.67 persons and whether to prioritize preserving existing affordable market‑rate units facing redevelopment.

Public comment underscored the lived experience behind the numbers. Jeanette Rosenbaum, a resident who lives just outside city limits, described accepting a Gaithersburg job and taking the least‑cost rental available despite being cost‑burdened. David Mullins, a Gateway Apartments resident, said many low‑wage workers who service local institutions need access to near‑by, affordable housing and transit. Staff did not propose an ordinance or motion at the work session; instead they framed findings for the master‑plan process and future public engagement.","Staff said most recent housing growth and the active development pipeline are concentrated in multifamily rental units (studios and one‑bedrooms), while two‑ and three‑bedroom units show lower vacancy and evidence of unmet demand; about half of renter households are cost burdened.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6000135,"City updates 2025 visioning data report; staff says it will inform Build Gaithersburg 2040 master plan",2562,62000,2624000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5842855-81b55fdcdebc634eb591db69f16e7ec7&start=62&end=2624","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5842855-81b55fdcdebc634eb591db69f16e7ec7/thumbnail_62000.jpg","/articles/6000135/Gaithersburg-City/Montgomery-County/Maryland/City-updates-2025-visioning-data-report-staff-says-it-will-inform-Build-Gaithersburg-2040-master-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6000135-9e06e98e82ca0dad65300885369aed84/orig.mp4?Expires=1773078843&Signature=WrmiGYdrOi5ZAO13So58vf9HzMl2UJpba6OJnOYifdtEQb04iHVANk4IWA1gD74qKr0Mz-3solZvJeyyuaW-Xi-utsz59wjQtZhY45FXy6pIHN36as8ScWpYTfYJzgezHIeVYp7jdPwrFPByamhh25n2XIyzgDh3UQlKFV8MjdQQcxxseL7IJcGohlIcODeSqi3u5XO7Hvlg0t~vLUlIeXyOt-167FW6j75sww5O4NOIkeTw85NQ6DNNYWtmIL-DhXGvfAZGXNeluB4vuRVDLQdeOmxM-22wC8dYkpwJ~BCcBGwPdjCHmvuxOILhz1Jpg497dKqXq9hpjZsyYmkUwA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City planning staff presented an updated Visioning Data Report on Sept. 8 and told the mayor and council the 2025 analysis will serve as a baseline for the Build Gaithersburg 2040 master plan process. \"This is a joint work session presentation on the 2025 update to the visioning data report,\" said Kirk Eby, a city planning staff member, introducing the report.

The report compiles data from sources including the American Community Survey (ACS), the Economic Census, CoStar, Esri and Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD), and—where necessary—uses an internal methodology to compare 2016 tract boundaries with 2022 tract boundaries, staff said. \"The 2025 report uses the year 2022 for the current year of interest and 2016 as a comparison year,\" Eby said.

Staff summarized four broad topic areas—demographics, housing, economics and transportation—and highlighted persistent east/west differences east and west of Interstate 270. Emily Fishman, a city planning staff member, said the report’s findings will feed updates to the land use and transportation elements of the master plan and that a consultant report on retail and multifamily markets will follow in early 2026. \"It will play a big role in guiding the development master plan recommendations,\" Fishman said.

The presentation noted limits to the analysis: many data sources use different methods and margins of error can make apparent changes statistically insignificant. Staff also warned that the 2022-based report does not reflect ongoing federal policy changes and recent federal workforce reductions. The report used Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Round 10 forecasts (adopted 2023) to show projected growth through 2050: roughly 23% population growth, 32% household growth and 37% job growth for Gaithersburg under that forecast.

Staff identified implementation questions for the master plan: whether to prioritize preserving and expanding local employment, whether to encourage conversion of underused office space to other uses, and how to ensure multifamily development includes larger units and preserves affordable units. Laura Mayfield, a city planning staff member, summarized housing implications: \"The city should affirm its policy position to ensure that multifamily developments include an appropriate share of larger multi‑bedroom projects,\" she said, and noted the city's adopted housing element requires 15% affordable units in new multifamily projects.

There was discussion among council members and attendees about how the data should shape policy choices—whether to accept market-driven trends or to adopt proactive land‑use changes such as rezoning to grow local employment. No formal policy action or vote took place at the work session; staff framed the report as an analytic input for forthcoming master‑plan decisions and public engagement.","City planning staff presented a 2025 update to the Visioning Data Report using 2022 as the current year and 2016 for comparison, highlighting demographic, housing, economic and transportation trends the city will use as a baseline for its Build Gaithersburg 2040 master plan update.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Most Gaithersburg residents commute out for work; telework and office vacancies rose after pandemic

Gaithersburg grows more diverse and older; foreign‑born share holds near 40%

Multifamily growth dominates Gaithersburg housing pipeline; staff flags shortage of larger units and high renter cost burden

City updates 2025 visioning data report; staff says it will inform Build Gaithersburg 2040 master plan