Highway 6 in Manvel is about to get busier in the best possible way, with two new shopping centers lining up fresh options for coffee, dining and everyday errands. The projects sit near Valencia and the future Manvel City Center and are being pitched to a mix of local favorites and regional brands looking to ride the suburb’s population boom.
According to Community Impact, both the Shops at Manvel, at Highway 6 and Wilson Drive, and the Shops at Bluewater, at 18909 Highway 6, are being leased by Hunington Properties and already have early commitments. Community Impact reports that WAH Coffee, Ronnie’s Patties and Wingbay are lined up for the Shops at Manvel, while Hawaiian Bros Island Grill, Hemma House and Pressed and Polished Dry Cleaning are headed for the Bluewater center.
Hunington’s own leasing materials fill in the real estate details. The Shops at Manvel are listed at roughly 19,550 square feet, including a 6,925-square-foot corner pad designed for drive-thru service, per Hunington Properties. The company’s listing for the Shops at Bluewater puts the project at 18909 Highway 6 with an approximately 13,500-square-foot footprint near the Valencia entrance, along with broker contacts and current space-availability information.
Why Retailers Are Piling Into Highway 6
Developers and brokers say the surge in interest along SH 6 comes down to rooftops and traffic. Weitzman, the leasing team behind the large Manvel Town Center, recently announced Lowe’s as an anchor and notes the project pulls from tens of thousands of nearby homes, which helps explain why retailers are circling the corridor, according to Weitzman. Listings for the Bluewater site add that it sits less than two miles from the new H E B and benefits from heavy Highway 6 traffic as well as adjacency to several master-planned neighborhoods, a combination expected to steer customers straight into the new centers, per LoopNet.
Mayor Dan Davis has already put the projects on residents’ radar, flagging the developments on social media and asking what businesses people would most like to see. He called the initial tenant mix “a strong start,” Community Impact reports. Brokers are actively pitching pad sites and drive-thru-friendly corners, leaving the door open for both major quick-service brands and homegrown operators.
Leasing pages indicate that spaces are being marketed now, with tenant buildouts and openings expected to follow as Valencia and nearby neighborhoods continue adding homes. As leases are signed and grand opening dates land on the calendar, we will be watching to see which names ultimately lock in and when they are ready to flip the “open” sign.
