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Developer seeks rezoning for 410‑unit Lake Forest project; residents press for more family‑sized and deeply affordable units
Summary
At a joint April 21 public hearing, the applicant proposed up to 410 residential units (15% MPDUs) and 20,100 sq ft of ground‑floor retail for three Lake Forest parcels. Neighbors and housing advocates urged more MPDUs and three‑bedroom units; the planning commission and council left the record open for further comment.
An applicant team proposing to redevelop three parcels on Lake Forest Boulevard presented an eight‑story, mixed‑use schematic plan on April 21 that would replace two aging office buildings with an eight‑story building containing up to 410 apartments, roughly 20,100 square feet of ground‑floor commercial space, and structured parking.
Brian Lang, the applicant and long‑time site owner, told the joint planning commission and city council the redevelopment would add ‘‘up to 410 new homes, 15% which will be moderately priced dwelling units along with neighborhood‑serving retail, upgraded infrastructure, and thoughtfully designed public spaces that prioritize walkability and connectivity.’’ The schematic development plan (Z9928) also proposes approximately 636 parking spaces and a half‑acre internal courtyard with resident amenities.
Planning staff and the applicant said the CD (Corridor Development) rezoning is intended to introduce residential uses not allowed under the site’s existing C2 zoning and to place buildings at the street edge to improve walkability. The applicants said stormwater and circulation improvements are part of the submission; the team confirmed they are addressing four outstanding staff comments identified in the staff report.
Residents and housing advocates at the hearing praised the addition of housing but pressed the applicant and staff for deeper affordability and more family‑sized units. Spence Limbbacher of the Gaithersburg Beloved Community urged the council to seek a higher MPDU requirement: ‘‘We’d like to push it up to 20 percent,’’ he said, arguing the city needs more homes affordable to households with children. Housing counselor Carmen Castro Conroy told the council the project’s unit mix (as presented in the applicant packet) showed zero three‑bedroom apartments; she said that would exclude many families and multigenerational households who cannot afford local market rents.
The council and commissioners also questioned the traffic study’s distribution assumptions. Transportation consultant Nancy Randall said the traffic distribution used in the study was set after multiple iterations and in coordination with city staff; staff clarified nearby infrastructure projects (including Lake Forest redevelopment and state improvements) shaped which intersections the study analyzed.
What the council did: The Planning Commission voted 5‑0 to hold its record open through 5:00 p.m. on May 23, 2025 and forwarded a recommendation timeline to the Mayor and City Council. The Mayor and Council then voted (4‑0) to hold the record open to 5:00 p.m. on June 13, 2025, with policy discussion and tentative adoption set for July 7, 2025. No land‑use approvals were made at the April 21 meeting.
Why it matters: The project would add a substantial number of new units to a transit‑proximate corridor and is the first CD‑zone rezoning application under the city’s new zoning ordinance. The community debate about MPDU share and the scarcity of three‑bedroom units highlights an ongoing local policy tension between market‑rate multifamily development and family‑sized affordable housing.
What comes next: The record remains open for written submissions; the planning commission’s and council’s timelines indicate further hearings and staff analysis before any final rezoning decision.
