Manvel City Council has not yet approved a land plan for the 150 acres that will be developed into a city center.

The council has seen several plans over the past year that have been proposed by the architect, PGAL, and will continue to see plan options until the council approves one, City Manager Kyle Jung said.

“My hope is that an option will be approved by the end of the year, and we can move forward with planning infrastructure for the facilities that will be on the property,” Jung said. ”We’re really trying to plan for what kinds of activities would be appealing and functional for current and future residents and visitors to the city of Manvel.”

The 150 acres for this project are located east of Hwy. 288. Between the city’s property and Hwy. 288 is the Del Bello Lakes community, which is in development and broke ground Oct. 1. Part of the Del Bello Lakes plan is the creation of Del Bello Boulevard, a road that could then be extended by the city to create easy vehicle access to the city center property.

“Once the contractor builds their part of Del Bello Boulevard, we can make the extension and start building,” Jung said.

City facilities, sports complexes, recreational facilities open to the community and commercial spaces are all options for the city center.

“If we were to build all the things we included in the first six iterations of the plan, you’re looking at 10, 15 years of building to get to that final result,” Jung said. “It’s not anticipated to be built all at once or in the next five years. It’s something that’s going to be built over time.”

Jung also said the plan that is eventually decided on will be a road map for the construction to come. The needs of Manvel residents in 10 years may not be the same as the needs of Manvel residents now, and the plan may change to accommodate those needs.

After a plan is decided on by City Council, the next steps are looking at the general layout and facility needs and then deciding which buildings should be financed and constructed first.

The acres intended for the city center are part of a larger tract of land called the Sowell Tract. The 600-acre plot has largely been used for agricultural purposes since the mid-1980s.