NU supporter becomes Gaithersburg planner

A 20-year resident of the Kentlands community in Gaithersburg, Maryland, has become the new planning director of Gaithersburg, a town with about 60,000 residents located northwest of DC. John Schlichting was a developer with the JBG Companies of Chevy Chase, Maryland, which specializes in transit-oriented development (TOD). Schlichting is a big supporter of TOD and New Urbanism, of which Kentlands is a well-known example. “There’s a strong sense of belonging in the Kentlands,” he told Gazzette.net, a community news site in Maryland. “And that’s rooted in the neighborhood itself.” Schlichting thinks Gaithersburg growth should be focused in Olde Towne, along Frederick Avenue, and near stops for the proposed Corridor Cities Transitway.