City staff unveil Build Gaithersburg 2040 priorities, seek council guidance on 355 nodes, Kentlands and Old Town

City planning staff on March 23 presented the early framework for Build Gaithersburg 2040 — Gaithersburg City’s decennial master plan update — and asked the Mayor and Council and Planning Commission for feedback on engagement findings, a proposed sector map, and high‑level recommendations for land use and transportation.

Mike Hayes, long‑range planning manager, told the joint work session that the master plan is the city’s “official policy” guiding development, capital projects and coordination with state and county partners. Staff said they completed three outreach phases since May 2025 — awareness, targeted surveys and stakeholder meetings, and interactive focus groups and drop‑in sessions — and had nearly 300 people signed up for project updates.

That outreach produced consistent priorities: respondents ranked reducing traffic congestion and improving safe, connected walking and biking as top transportation needs, and pointed to more…