With the recent overhaul of the Prince George’s County Zoning Code, Mount Rainier is now one of two cities in the county covered by Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Zones (NCOZ). Greenbelt is the other city.
Establishing a zone to protect the City's historic character is the culmination of grassroots efforts over two decades. Earlier in 1990, the Mount Rainier National Register Historic District was recognized by the National Park Service for the city’s development as an early 20th-century streetcar suburb.
The new zone which covers most residential properties became effective on April 1, 2022. Excluded from the zone guidelines are properties under the Mixed-Use Town Center, individual historic landmarks, and several garden-style apartment complexes that were constructed following the Great Depression.
Information on the Mount Rainier NCOZ is posted on the M-NCPPC Prince George’s County Planning Department website.
On the site, citizens will find a Map, Zoning Standards, and Publications including an eight-page introduction and the Mount Rainier Pattern Book, a 100-page architectural guide of the city’s historic housing stock released in 2018.