Market Square in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland, is emerging

Market Square in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland, is emerging as the latest sizable town center in a new urbanist project. As of June, 1999, a total of 183,000 square feet of retail space had been leased in Market Square, including restaurants, an 8-screen cinema, a fitness center, a large clothing store, and numerous specialty and neighborhood service shops. In addition, Market Square has townhomes, live/work units, several hundred apartments, and an assisted living facility for senior citizens. Market Square will serve Kentlands and the adjacent new urbanist neighborhood called Lakelands, which is in the early stages of construction. With the exception of its live/work units, Market Square lacks multistory buildings with apartments above shops. Kentlands’ retail stores are single use, mostly single-story buildings. Some large retail chain stores are incorporated with entrances off of parking lots on interiors of blocks. Kentlands’ Market Square is therefore a hybrid downtown, albeit one that is likely to work well urbanistically.