Manvel council approves Del Bello Lakes PUD amendment to allow car dealership with 11 conditions

The Manvel City Council voted 6–1 on Dec. 2 to approve the second and final reading of Ordinance 2024‑O‑35, amending the Del Bello Lakes planned unit development to allow a car dealership on 16 of the site’s 30 acres, subject to 11 conditions the council adopted during debate.

The conditions include clarified definitions and land‑use limits (the council specified that at least 60% of vehicles offered must be new), a minimum 30‑foot landscaped buffer with evergreen trees planted at least every 25 feet, an 8‑foot masonry wall along residential edges, lighting controls to prevent spillover, an on‑site requirement for vehicle transport deliveries, prohibitions on mini‑storage and similar self‑storage uses, a ban on RV/motor‑home/heavy‑equipment sales, sidewalk requirements along Del Bello Boulevard, limits on the number of dealership buildings and one car wash, and a requirement for an updated traffic impact analysis (TIA) if TxDOT does not permit a curb cut from the Highway 288 feeder road.

Mayor (unnamed) led the council discussion and floated further ideas for negotiation, including seeking changes to the MUD development agreement that had previously committed substantial tax rebates to developers. “We can’t tie a development agreement into a land‑use approval,” city legal staff advised, but councilmembers said they wanted a separate negotiation about revenue sharing and rebates. The applicant’s representative, Mr. Mintzberg, told council that deep reductions to the MUD rebate percentages would make the project financially infeasible but offered a 50/50 split on the 16‑acre dealership parcel as a sign of good faith while committing to continued negotiation.

Staff emphasized that prior staff and Planning, Development & Zoning (PD&Z) recommendations had been not to approve the land‑use change, and council debated whether proposed non‑land‑use items should be handled in parallel negotiation rather than as PUD conditions. Council required the TIA to be approved by the city engineer if the TxDOT curb‑cut is denied; the applicant agreed to apply to TxDOT and accepted the city’s offer to provide a support letter.

The motion to approve was made by Councilman Bonner and seconded by Councilman O’Plager. The ordinance passed 6–1. Following the vote, the city and the applicant committed to schedule follow‑up discussions on the development agreement and infrastructure timing. The applicant also said it would provide detailed cost and reimbursement information and work cooperatively with the city on site design and infrastructure plans.

Next steps: the developer will pursue TxDOT access approvals and, where required, submit an updated TIA for city‑engineer approval; the city and applicant agreed to continue negotiating the development agreement and any possible alterations to the MUD rebate structure.