Historic Resources Management Plan

The Historic Resources Management Plan (HRMP) outlines how Rockville’s historic buildings and areas are managed. It is a practical plan which addresses the management of the city’s historic resources through implementation of the Comprehensive Plan. The current plan was written in 1986, when resources had to be at least 50 years old to be considered historic.

The HRMP identifies city historic resources, provides local history contexts, presents recommendations and implementation steps to protect and preserve such resources, and coordinates resource management through the Historic District Commission. The HRMP was designed to advance historic preservation and heritage by integrating such planning initiatives into comprehensive and land use planning processes. The plan established and described historic periods, cultural trends, and building types throughout Rockville’s history.

The plan follows the Resource Protection Planning Process (RP3) devised by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service, which was designed to facilitate the management of historic resources. The model consists of three parts: historic contexts, operating plans, and management plans. Additional guidance was given by the Maryland Historical Trust’s statewide “Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan” published in 1986.

The current plan is a typewritten document that is over 30 years old and overdue for an update. In order to complete this update, the city has created a Historic Preservation Work Plan, guiding the division’s activities over the next decade and ultimately resulting in an updated HRMP.