Manor is finally pulling the trigger on its long-talked-about town center, picking Hunt Real Estate & Infrastructure to deliver a new City Hall and public library that will sit at the heart of an 84-acre mixed-use district along U.S. 290 east of Austin. The civic pair is expected to anchor a central lawn, new housing, and future retail, with city officials pitching the buildings as the new front door for Manor Town Center.
The decision followed a competitive developer hunt that wrapped with Hunt's selection, as first reported by the Austin Business Journal. That coverage notes the city sees the new City Hall and library as the linchpin of a walkable mixed-use district along the busy 290 corridor.
According to a city press release distributed via Business Wire, the Manor City Council voted unanimously on May 6 to adopt the Manor Town Center Strategic Roadmap. That move clears the way for construction to start this fall and targets a mid-2028 opening for the civic buildings. The release states that Hunt will serve as the City's public-private partnership developer, with Lake|Flato as master planner, PGAL as architect of record, and Hensel Phelps as design-builder. City Manager Scott Moore called the roadmap "an important step" that creates "a clear path forward" for a new civic center of activity, according to the release.
Site And Master Plan
The civic hub is planned for the Manor Town Square property along U.S. 290 just east of FM 973. Landowner and master-planning materials list the site at roughly 82 to 84 acres, with about 8.4 acres carved out specifically for the new City Hall and library. Shenandoah Development Group notes that the tract offers deep frontage on U.S. 290 and multiple access points, a layout intended to support retail, commercial, and residential development around a central civic green.
How The City Plans To Pay And Deliver The Work
To get the project off the ground, Manor has been using a progressive public-private partnership model that asks shortlisted teams to advance design, financing, and construction details under an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement, according to the city's formal request for qualifications. The City of Manor explains that the selected developer will analyze potential financing tools, including special districts and tax-exempt debt, and could also be tapped to manage operations and maintenance of the new public facilities. The same document sets a goal of opening as many of the public and private programs as reasonably possible by 2027, while the team works through entitlements and permitting.
Next Steps And Local Impact
Next on the to-do list are negotiations on the Exclusive Negotiation Agreement, more detailed design work, and continued outreach via community meetings and a dedicated project website, according to the city release. City officials and Hunt are positioning the project as a way to streamline access to municipal services and jump-start more private development along the 290 corridor, effectively giving Manor something it has not really had in decades: a defined downtown core.
City staff recommended Hunt in a council agenda packet that outlines the competitive RFQ process and urges approval of an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement to hammer out final terms with the developer. Materials from the City of Manor show staff toured finalist projects and conducted follow-up due diligence before making their pick. Upcoming council votes, funding decisions, and design milestones will ultimately determine whether the project hits its ambitious schedule, but selecting a developer pushes Manor noticeably closer to a purpose-built downtown center.
