What are we missing in Manvel?

I have been thinking a lot lately about Manvel and what I would love to see our town become.

Manvel doesn’t have a traditional downtown. We don’t have an old Main Street with little shops and restaurants. We don’t have a town square where people walk around on Saturday afternoon. And that’s okay. We don’t need to pretend we are a 150-year-old little Texas town.

But I think we are missing something. We are missing a place.

Right now, let’s be honest, a lot of people move to Manvel because it makes sense. Housing has been more affordable than Pearland and some of the surrounding areas. We have land. We are close to 288. You can live here and still get to Houston relatively easily.

But that also means Manvel can feel a little bit like a dormitory town.

We live here. We sleep here. We buy gas here. We get our donuts here. And apparently, we can also get our teeth fixed in quite a few places.

But when we want a little more, we have to leave.

We go to Pearland. We go to Alvin. We drive toward Houston. We take the kids somewhere else. We go somewhere else for a nice evening, an interesting store, entertainment, or just somewhere fun to spend a few hours.

And I don’t think it has to stay that way.

Yes, development is coming. I know there are projects happening.

We have Manvel Town Center. We have The Presidio. We have The Junction at Manvel. These are significant projects, and I am excited to see new businesses, restaurants and services coming to our area but I also think we need to recognize the limitation of this type of development.

New commercial construction is expensive. The rents in large new developments can be difficult for a small business to afford, especially when that business is just getting started.

A large chain can look at a growing market like Manvel and make the numbers work very differently than someone who wants to open their first business.

And that’s what worries me a little.

If all of our commercial growth happens in expensive new developments, we may end up with plenty of businesses without necessarily creating much personality.

We’ll have places to shop or eat…. But will we have a place people actually want to explore?

There’s nothing wrong with chains. I use them too. I’m very happy that we have H-E-B.

I want the little businesses too… I want the weird little shop. I want the beautiful coffee place that could only exist in Manvel. I want a small restaurant where somebody is doing something completely different. I want a store that sells things you didn’t know existed.

I want food, music and businesses owned by people who had a crazy idea and decided to try it. I want somewhere you can sit outside with friends. I want businesses that are so unusual that people from outside Manvel hear about them and decide they’re worth the drive.

There are little independent shops. A few really good restaurants. A coffee shop. A farmers market. We need older buildings reused. Maybe we need outdoor markets and inexpensive spaces where someone can test an idea before committing to a large commercial lease.

…I don’t want us to copy Pearland. I don’t want us to copy Sugar Land. I don’t even want us to copy one of those beautiful Texas towns with an old historic square.

Manvel still has land.  We still have big trees and open spaces. Use it.

BUT WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE IT EASIER TO TRY

And this is where I think being business-friendly becomes really important.

Starting a small business is hard. Really hard.

The person opening an independent business usually doesn’t have the resources of a national chain. They’re risking their own money. They’re signing a lease. They’re buying equipment. They’re paying insurance, utilities and employees, often before the first customer ever walks through the door.

If we want independent businesses in Manvel, we have to create an environment where they have a realistic chance of succeeding.

How do we help someone with a great idea find an affordable place?

How do we make the permitting process smooth?

How do we create room for businesses that don’t fit perfectly into the usual boxes?

Because if we want something different, we have to make room for the people willing to create something different.

Because I don’t think Manvel’s future should simply be more houses, more gas stations, more donut shops, more dentists and more traffic.

I would love to hear someone in Pearland say on a Saturday morning:

“What should we do today?”

And someone answers:

“Let’s go to Manvel.”

That’s the Manvel I would love to see us create.