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Two developer teams pitch Manvel City Center P3; council presses on housing, risk and financing
Summary
Two applicant teams, Midway Collaborate and Hunt Companies, presented competing public-private partnership plans for the Manvel City Center on May 4. Council asked detailed questions about multifamily housing, tenant mix, phasing and who would carry development risk, and scheduled follow-ups rather than selecting a winner.
Two developer teams seeking to lead the proposed Manvel City Center public-private partnership (P3) made their cases to the Manvel City Council on May 4, with council members pressing them on housing mix, tenant strategy and financial risk.
Midway Collaborate opened the workshop session. "We do bring the capital to be able to execute on these projects," said Chris Kay of Midway, who pitched the team's long-term, placemaking-centered approach. Anna Deans, Midway executive vice president, described the group's experience building mixed-use destinations and emphasized community-oriented programming and walkable design.
Midway representatives repeatedly told council that multifamily housing was a tool, not a requirement. "We can develop a plan that does not include multifamily," Deans said when asked whether the team could propose an alternative mix. The presenters said they favor phasing and programmatic activation, including events, to drive foot traffic and retail success.
Hunt Companies, which followed, stressed an "infrastructure-first" delivery model and deep financial capacity. "We're a family-owned company based in El Paso," said Rodney Moss, Hunt's senior vice president, describing the firm's track record in P3s and municipal projects. Hunt's finance manager, John Willilifford, outlined how tax-capture mechanisms and other revenue sources would be modeled to pay for public infrastructure.
Council members probed both teams on who would bear downside risk if the project underperforms. Hunt said structure and pricing depend on objectives but reiterated that projects of this scale require careful finance planning. "These projects move at the speed of trust," Moss said, urging a thorough strategic roadmap before financial close.
Councilman Keith Bonner and others repeatedly raised the community's sensitivity to higher-density housing. Midway said it has experience customizing tenant mixes and programming to local markets and would seek resident and neighborhood-group input early. Hunt pointed to its experience in Waco and Maynor as examples of multi-phase town-center delivery.
No vote or selection was made. Council members signaled interest in two or three follow-up sessions, including a possible virtual working committee to dig deeper into underwriting and contract terms and to consider guarantees or control points to limit taxpayer exposure. City Manager Dan Johnson will collect follow-up questions and coordinate the next presentations.
What happens next: the council plans at least one additional round of follow-ups with each finalist and an executive session later to review legal and financial details before any formal selection or recommendation to award a P3 agreement.
