"DO NOT GO WHERE THE PATH MAY LEAD, GO INSTEAD WHERE THERE IS NO PATH AND BLAZE A TRAIL" - rALPH WALDO EMERSON
a BRIEF History
We like thinking that when Joseph Alfandre first purchased the Kentlands Farm in 1988, he was summoning a little Ralph Waldo Emerson. How else could his radical experiment to turn a giant chunk of land dating back to the 1720s into one of the nation's most successful, well-modeled, and still highly-desired communities come to fruition?
[Photos sourced and courtesy of the following: The City of Gaithersburg, GaithersburgHistory.com, & the Kentlands Community Foundation.]
With the vision of establishing the nation's first year-round 'neo-traditional' community, Alfandre hired the only team in the country that had a proven track record of delivering such a development: Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk of DPZ Architects as their famed Seaside community in Florida served as the very first blueprint for what we now all enjoy as the Kentlands.
The plan was simple: to transform over 600+ acres of farmland into a highly walkable, neo-urban, environment that seamlessly blended both higher density apartment and condominium residences with their more rural surroundings, by injecting the area with a broad mix of development from multiple builders across a multi-year building period. This approach not only enhanced the architectural appeal and complexity of the homes, but also allowed for an interconnectivity of the community through a series of parks, trails, lakes, and common gathering areas that were built to preserve some of the original history and functionality of the site. "New Urbanism" is how Alfandre and company viewed the opportunity, and when the first homes delivered in the early 1990's there were people camped outside the sales center to ensure they didn't miss out.
Flash-forward 25 years, the Kentlands still maintains much of the 'neo-traditional' charm that its original builders intended. The community still flourishes by perfectly blending a diverse housing stock with the immediate convenience of the Main Street & Market Square Shopping Districts and the nearly 1.5 MILLION square feet of adjacent commercial development all within walking distance from the majority of homes in the community. One would be hard pressed to actually think of a need or desire that isn't immediately fulfilled in the Kentlands as most services are already present, from veterinary services, to cinemas, to private and public education, to markets, restaurants, and a wealth of specialty shops and professional service providers (dentists, lawyers, financial planners, etc.)
We strongly believe that very few communities in the region, let alone the immediate area, offer the complimentary design, proximity, convenience, and tranquility that the Kentlands pioneered. And we're confident that the appeal of this unique place will only continue to grow.