Lincoln Park Neighborhood Plan

The Lincoln Park Neighborhood has an extensive history as one of the oldest African-American communities in Montgomery County, dating to the 1850s.  Today, the neighborhood is primarily a single-family residential community surrounded on three sides by a variety of non-residential land uses.  The Rockville Town Center is to the southwest, separated from the neighborhood by the Metro/CSX railroad tracks and major highways.  There are a variety of housing types with varying ages, sizes, and conditions.  Although there is limited retail service within the neighborhood, retail opportunities in the nearby Town Center provide for everyday shopping needs.  Regional transit, bikeways, parks and open space are also within the neighborhood or close by.

Developing an updated Lincoln Park Neighborhood Plan is among the priority objectives set by Rockville’s Mayor and Council. A Neighborhood Plan Advisory Group, working with City staff, has been developing a new Plan to replace the existing Lincoln Park Neighborhood Plan, which was adopted in 1984.  The revised Plan will provide detailed goals and recommendations for the neighborhood for the next 20 years. 

One of the primary goals is to maintain and enhance the community as a stable and secure residential neighborhood.  Providing housing opportunities for residents with a range of incomes and promoting homeownership opportunities for residents who are or will be owner-occupants, while protecting the residential character of the neighborhood from nonresidential encroachment and nonconforming land uses, is the primary concern of the community.  Residents are also concerned about establishing circulation patterns and opportunities, including vehicular, bicycle, pedestrian and public transit, which protect the residential nature of the Lincoln Park neighborhood.  A complete list of the Advisory Group’s initial recommendations is included below.

The draft plan incorporates these recommendations. A public hearing on the draft will be held on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 with the Planning Commission. The Commission will make a recommendation to the Mayor and Council, who will also hold a public hearing. The public hearing will also be held on the Conservation Plan, which includes new standards for residential development in the neighborhood.

For more information, contact Jim Wasilak, Chief of Planning, 240-314-8211.

• Staff Draft - Lincoln Park Neighborhood Plan (2.5MB pdf)
• Approved and Adopted Lincoln Park Conservation District Plan
• Advisory Group Draft Recommendations (June, 2003)
• Lincoln Park Community Preservation Project

Lincoln Park Meeting Minutes