Manvel planning commission tables Del Bello Lakes PUD amendment after public concern over traffic, drainage and buffers

The Manvel Planning Commission on a public hearing item tabled consideration of an ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 2024-0-35 to add about 106.8 acres to the Del Bello Lakes planned unit development (PUD), voting 4-0 to delay further action until staff and the applicant provide additional studies and clarifications.

The proposal, presented by the applicant team, would rezone roughly 106.8 acres east of Manvel Parkway (across the GCWA canal) and north of Del Bello Lane from open single-family residential (1-acre minimum lots) into Del Bello Lakes PUD standards that would allow 50- and 60-foot lots, add about 326 residential lots and expand the existing Del Bello amenities. Catherine Parker with Meta Planning and Design, the applicant’s planner, told the commission the expansion is intended to match the quality and development standards of the existing community.

Why it matters: Nearby homeowners and commissioners raised questions about whether local roads, drainage systems and public-safety access can handle the additional units and asked for clearer commitments on buffers where new lots abut existing one-acre homes.

At the hearing, residents described the neighborhood character and specific safety concerns. “Zoning changes in established neighborhoods like mine, especially those that allow smaller lots and higher density, can quickly unravel the community we’ve worked decades to build,” said Missy Rice, who identified herself as a Del Bello Lane resident at 5535 Del Bello Lane. Rice asked that lots fronting Del Bello Lane (lots she identified in the record as Lots 3, 4, 10 and 16) be excluded from rezoning or be provided a meaningful green buffer.

Keith Stevens, a resident and an HOA board member, said he supports the expansion in principle because it could increase HOA revenue and fund improvements such as an air-conditioned meeting room at the existing recreation center. “We already have, I think, 400 homes there now. . . . We’re looking at the long-term expansion for our community,” Stevens said.

Applicant representatives said some concerns raised at an earlier council workshop were already addressed in changes to the proposal: the applicant removed a proposed connection to Del Bello Lane and has initiated coordination with the Gulf Coast Water Authority on a required bridge for Manvel Parkway access across the GCWA canal. Robert Santini of Shea Homes said the developer expects to fund an expansion of the current recreation center if the annexation and zoning concept are approved.

Staff and commissioners stressed missing technical materials. The planning staff listed elements not completed at the time of the commission report: a traffic impact analysis, drainage and utility plans, a final parkland calculation and documentation of coordination with Brazoria County and the GCWA. Staff also noted inconsistencies in the redline PUD text regarding phasing (two versus three phases). The application packet showed roughly 27.5–30% open space, proposed 50- and 60-foot lot widths and a proposed administrative change increasing the cap on 50-foot lots from 22% to 32% of the project compared with the original PUD.

Commissioners repeatedly said they could not assess traffic or drainage impacts without a traffic study and full drainage analysis. Concerns included the capacity of County Road 58, Cros/ Croix/Corey Road alignments and timing of regional road improvements that other developers and the county have planned. Commissioners also asked about public-safety response times and fire access for the added residential units.

The commission voted to table the ordinance amendment until required studies, clearer phasing language and other outstanding items are submitted and reviewed. The motion to table passed unanimously 4-0.

Looking ahead: The applicant said annexation into Manvel remains in progress and that the city council will consider annexation in a public hearing expected July 7, 2025. Staff and applicants said if the commission and council provide conceptual support, the developer will invest in full traffic and drainage studies and engineering plans required for subsequent plat and construction approvals.

Votes at a glance: Motion to table consideration of Ordinance No. 2024-0-35 (Del Bello Lakes PUD amendment) — outcome: tabled, vote tally: yes 4, no 0 (movers not specified in the record).