Manvel EDC reviews draft 'Future Manvel' strategic plan; council consideration planned Jan. 21

The Manvel Economic Development Corporation on the evening of the meeting received a presentation from Kendig Keys Collaborative on a draft Manvel 2045 strategic plan that consultants say will feed into the city’s forthcoming comprehensive plan and thoroughfare plan, with a target for City Council consideration on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

The draft plan frames a vision of Manvel as “a distinctive, secure and highly livable suburban community” and sets out seven community values and eight guiding principles — safe, connected, sustainable, prudent, opportunistic, healthy, age-friendly and welcoming — intended to shape future land use, transportation and economic development decisions.

Kendig Keys Collaborative architect and urban designer Jennifer Mack, who led the presentation, told the board that the strategic plan is intended to provide direction that will flow into the comprehensive plan rather than to prescribe immediate, detailed zoning changes. “The strategic plan is what I’m presenting here tonight, but all this is gonna feed into or is feeding into the comprehensive plan and the thoroughfare plan,” Mack said.

The presentation summarized the project schedule, data and public outreach to date. Consultants reported 676 survey responses, nine focus-group sessions and a public forum held in April. Key draft findings cited in the presentation: a median age of roughly 35.7 years; about 87.8% of housing as single-family detached; and roughly 4,585 workers who live in Manvel but commute outside the city. The consultants described those statistics as evidence Manvel currently functions largely as a bedroom community but faces daytime population and infrastructure impacts from schools, events and through traffic.

Consultants pulled community priorities from the outreach platform and an interactive online plan summary that the city has made available. Mack described the online tools as a way for residents to review the draft and offer feedback; she noted the consultants had started a second round of social-media engagement and that a kiosk is available in the lobby for people without online access.

The draft plan stops short of prescribing immediate, site-level actions, Mack said, and the comprehensive-plan update will include the specific near-term and implementation items. “So unlike some types of strategic plans, this Manvel 2045 strategic plan stopped short of getting into specific action items because the strategic plan is intended to be to basically to provide the direction for and flow right into the comprehensive plan,” she said.

Chad of NextMove Group, who joined the meeting briefly, described three market-area development categories the consultant teams identified: commercial opportunities near the 288/Highway 6 interchange; east-of-town industrial (heavy and light); and an “old-town” or town-square-style area near city hall for mixed-use retail and small shops. “We are not land use experts. We’re not engineers. We’re really marketing experts,” Chad said, characterizing his firm’s role in crafting market strategies that align with the plan.

City staff and board members pressed for clarification on several points. Director of Development Services Jose Abraham said the plan will produce recommendations and that detailed implementation — including any zoning or subdivision ordinance changes needed to allow “missing middle” housing types — will follow through council and Planning, Development and Zoning (PDZ) action. “How it happens, when it happens, the shape that it'll take will subsequently unfold through action by the city council, action by the planning development and zoning commission, based on the administrative tools like the subdivision ordinances, zoning ordinances,” Abraham said.

On housing, consultants defined “missing middle” as the range of housing types between single-family detached homes and large apartment complexes — duplexes, triplexes, multiplexes, townhomes and smaller ‘‘cottage’’ forms — and said the comprehensive-plan process will include recommendations on whether and how municipal code should change to allow those options.

Next steps outlined in the presentation include presentations to the Planning, Development and Zoning Commission (scheduled in the draft timeline for Monday, Jan. 13), PDZ workshops tentatively set for Feb. 24, a March workshop listed in the presentation materials, and April 28; an open house on draft plans; and the comprehensive-plan update and implementation phase. The consultants said they had already met with TxDOT and Brazoria County and that the Manvel Economic Development Corporation’s economic-development plan by NextMove Group was reviewed for alignment with the draft strategic plan.

Board members were asked to fill out the online surveys and to expect email distribution of the final strategic-plan draft and the project exhibits. The consultants emphasized there will be additional opportunities for public input as the comprehensive-plan work proceeds.

Votes at the meeting included two administrative items related to the EDC’s operations. The board approved payment of an enrollment fee for a Texas Economic Development Council course for board member Chris Durette and approved the consent agenda; both motions passed unanimously. The board also formally adjourned at the end of the meeting.

The consultants and staff encouraged residents to review the interactive plan summary on the city’s Future Manvel webpage and to submit comments via the survey and upcoming engagement events.