Why Districts Matter

The only constant in this world is change. Tomorrow will be different from today…today from yesterday….you get the picture.

What lags behind, in many cases, is the methods we use to measure, describe and predict. There is a little changing we need to do as Realtors in Richmond.

For many years, the zones of Richmond have remained stagnant. Zone 10, which is the primary zone that contains the Downtown Richmond neighborhoods plus The Fan and Museum Districts always served us pretty well. However, it is really no longer reflective of how we search, either as agents or as the buying public. It is hampering our growth and we need to change it.

Manchester is technically small parts of both zones 50 and 60. It is bounded by the city limits to the south of the river and is split by Hull Street. It is unfortunate as it is lumped in with areas that do not truly share its history, style or momentum. It is also truly holding back its growth.

As Richmond grows, our MLS needs to grow with it. I feel strongly that the Manchester area should be incorporated into Zone 10 as part of what is considered to be “Downtown.” The traffic patterns, development paths and physical proximity make it more “10″ than “50″ or “60.” Furthermore, having Hull Street serve as a dividing line for the current zones couldn’t be any less reflective of the reality of Manchester.

When Manchester was industrial, it did not matter. Now it does.

As a Realtor, I want our MLS to be as accurate as possible.

As a Richmonder, I want true market forces to dictate successes or failures and not financing or outdated lines.

Right now, neither is correct and we need to get it right.

Rick Jarvis is the co-founder of One South Realty Group, a leader in Richmond Va Condos. Click here if you’d like more information on the state of the art in Richmond Virginia Condos.