I’ve driven past Lakeforest Mall thousands of times over my career, and watching it sit empty is one of the stranger things I’ve seen happen to a piece of Montgomery County real estate. So let me walk you through exactly what’s replacing it and why it matters if you live in or around Gaithersburg.
What’s Replacing Lakeforest Mall?
The short answer: a mixed-use community is replacing Lakeforest Mall, not another shopping center. WRS Inc., the company that owns the property, filed a sketch plan calling for a full redevelopment of the site with up to 1,600 residential units, roughly 750,000 square feet of commercial space, and a redesigned pond area built around outdoor dining and entertainment. The housing mix on the table so far is townhomes, condominiums, and triplexes, with no single-family homes mentioned in the plan. On the commercial side, WRS has fielded interest from movie theater operators looking to build an adults-oriented theater with food service, waiter service, and a bar. There’s also a national home builder reportedly signed on to handle construction, though no name has been made public yet. This is a multi-year, multi-stage project, and I’ll keep tracking it as details firm up.
Why Did Lakeforest Mall Close After Almost 45 Years?
Lakeforest Mall closed because it had been losing anchor tenants for years and finally lost the one holding it together. The mall opened on September 12, 1978, with Woodward & Lothrop, JCPenney, Sears, and Hecht’s as its original anchors, and at the time of construction it was the largest indoor mall in the United States. It even had an ice-skating rink. Starting around 2017, anchor stores began leaving one by one, and Macy’s was the last one standing. When Macy’s announced its own closure in January, that cleared the path for WRS to officially announce the mall’s full closure by the end of March. Forty-five years is a long run, and it’s genuinely sad to see a place that used to be a destination point in Montgomery County sit as an eyesore now, but I understand why the ownership group moved on.
What’s the Full Scope of the Redevelopment Plan?
The plan on file goes well beyond knocking down an empty mall and calls for reshaping the entire site into a walkable, multi-stage community. WRS purchased the ponds and the surrounding conservation area back in 2019, well before the mall closure was official, which tells you this redevelopment has been in the works for a while. The sketch plan was submitted in November 2022 and lays out a phased buildout combining residential, retail, dining, and green space rather than a single big-box replacement. If you want to see the actual filings and follow the approval process as it moves through the county, the Montgomery County Planning Department publishes sketch plans, staff reports, and hearing dates for projects like this one.
Will There Be New Homes at the Former Mall Site?
Yes, housing is a core piece of this redevelopment, with plans for up to 1,600 units. What I’m hearing is that the construction direction leans toward townhomes, condominiums, and triplexes, both for sale and for rent, with no single-family homes mentioned so far. That’s a meaningful number of new units landing in one of the more central parts of Gaithersburg, and it’s worth watching closely if you’re thinking about buying in the area over the next few years, since new supply in a location like this tends to shift what’s available nearby. If you’re relocating into or around Montgomery County and want the bigger picture on neighborhoods, myMontgomery County relocation guideis a good next stop, and myGaithersburgpage covers what’s currently on the market there.
What Shopping, Dining, and Entertainment Is Coming?
The retail and entertainment piece centers on roughly 750,000 square feet of commercial space built around a cleaned-up pond and a new boardwalk. Picture something closer to what you’d find at Pike & Rose or Rio in Gaithersburg: outdoor dining, walkable retail, and entertainment options built around the water instead of an enclosed mall corridor. WRS has also fielded inquiries from movie theater operators interested in an adults-focused concept with food offerings, waiter service, and a bar, which is a very different experience than the old mall multiplex. None of this is finalized publicly with named tenants yet, but the direction is clear: outdoor, mixed-use, and experience-driven rather than a traditional retail box.
How Will This Change Traffic and Transit in Gaithersburg?
Transit is part of this plan too, with the sketch plan proposing that Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation relocate and enhance the Lakeforest Transit Center. That upgrade is meant to improve rapid bus transit operations along Frederick Road, which matters for anyone who commutes through that corridor daily. A project of this size, adding housing, retail, and entertainment on one site, is going to change traffic patterns in the area, and better bus infrastructure is part of how the county plans to absorb that. You can track county transportation planning directly throughMontgomery County’s government site.
What Does This Mean for Gaithersburg Home Values and Buyers?
A redevelopment this size tends to boost long-term demand for homes nearby, since new retail, dining, and transit upgrades make a neighborhood more attractive once construction wraps. Coverage from outlets likeBethesda Magazinehas followed the Lakeforest Mall story closely over the years, and I’d encourage you to keep an eye on their reporting alongside mine as new details come out. In the meantime, if you want to see how nearby Gaithersburg pricing and inventory are trending right now, myMontgomery County stats pagetracks that month to month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is replacing Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg?
A mixed-use community is replacing it, with up to 1,600 residential units (townhomes, condos, and triplexes), about 750,000 square feet of commercial space, a redesigned pond with a boardwalk, outdoor dining and entertainment, and a proposed adults-oriented movie theater.
When did Lakeforest Mall close?
WRS Inc. officially announced the closure in January, with the mall shutting its doors by the end of March, after Macy’s, the last remaining anchor store, announced its own closure that same month.
Will there be single-family homes at the redeveloped site?
No single-family homes have been mentioned in the plan so far. What’s on the table is townhomes, condominiums, and triplexes, both for sale and for rent.
Who owns the Lakeforest Mall property now?
WRS Inc. owns the mall property and the surrounding pond and conservation area, which it purchased separately back in 2019, well ahead of the mall’s official closure.
Where can I find official updates on the redevelopment plan?
TheMontgomery County Planning Departmentpublishes sketch plans, staff reports, and hearing schedules for projects like this, and that’s the best place to track approvals as they move forward.
This is one of the bigger redevelopment stories happening in Montgomery County right now, and I’ll keep bringing you updates as the plan moves from sketch to construction. If you’re weighing a move into or out of the area and want to talk through what a project like this means for your specific situation, reach out through mycontact page, or read more aboutwhy buyers and sellers choose to work with me.
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