The Manchester District
Property and business owners in the Manchester neighborhood worked with their neighborhood organizations and Venture Richmond from 2021-2023 on a plan to expand the Downtown General Special Service and Assessment District into Manchester to fund enhanced services and improvements.
Manchester is one of, if not, the fastest growing neighborhoods in the city. The private sector has invested over $800 million in the development in the neighborhood, and more is in the pipeline, adding over 5000 residential units (completed or underway). There are new restaurants and new commercial spaces as well. Manchester is generating new tax revenues for the City and the property and business owners are willing to fund enhanced services as part of a public/private partnership with the City. This is a way for the City to reinvest some of those revenues back into the neighborhood.
With an expansion of the current Downtown General Special Service and Assessment District, the property and business owners would pay $0.05/$100 of assessed value for enhanced services, just like the property owners in the rest of Downtown. In turn, the property owners have asked the City to be an annual 50/50 funding partner at $400,000. City Council put $300,000 in the 2023 budget as a match to the private sector investment.
The planning and conversation regarding enhanced services includes items like:
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Expand the Downtown Clean & Safe program to an 80-block area in Manchester and provide consistent sidewalk cleaning, litter pick-up, leaf removal, and weed control and elimination. Power wash homeless hotspots, as needed.
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Enhance and maintain tree wells. Distribute pet waste bags in key pet locations; remove pet waste from sidewalks and tree wells.
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Strengthen Manchester’s Infrastructure and connections to Downtown.
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Assess neighborhood infrastructure needs; advocate for on-street trash cans and bus shelters.
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Assess bike rack needs and fund bike racks around the neighborhood.
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Work with the neighborhood to develop marketing strategies and a communication plan.
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Market and promote retail and restaurants, particularly along the Hull Street corridor.
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Advocate for more City Investment.
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Work with neighborhood organizations to advocate for safer streets which includes lighting, traffic calming and pedestrian safety, priorities include Hull St. and Commerce Road.
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Advocate for City CIP investments in Manchester by engaging the City and developers in planning and determining priorities.
For more information and context on how other US cities manage and run their special assessment districts, read this informative article from the International Downtown Association.