With exploding population growth and after landing a popular big-box retailer, locals believe Celina, may be on pace to become one of the largest cities in North Texas in the future.
It may be considered the next boomtown in North Texas.
After landing a Costco, the tollway extension coming and exploding population growth, locals believe Celina may be on pace to become one of the largest cities in DFW eventually.
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WATCH HEREThe once-quiet, farming community of Celina is blossoming into a hotbed for economic growth.
Celina Mayor Sean Terry is touting a deal the city just landed at Preston and Ownsby Parkway.
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SIGN UP “Man it's awesome. You have a bucket list that you want for cities and they were surely on our bucket list we wanted to attract them every year,” Mayor Terry said. “We'd meet with them, talk to them and sell Celina and you know five years ago nobody knew where Celina was
Terry said Celina is the first community with under 35-thousand residents to land the retailer. In part, projections show Celina’s population will almost double in the next five years.
Improving infrastructure is key to meeting that growth, he said. Just this month, the Dallas North Tollway Authority Opened the Tollway Extension that crosses F.M. 428 TO 455.
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“[By] December, you'll be able to get on the toll road and end up almost in downtown Gunter, which is unheard of,” Mayor Terry said.
“I believe we're really one of the best-planned cities in the metroplex,” said Jason Lawmer, Celina City Manager.
Lawmer credits the toll road and the city’s location for some of their success with plenty of space left.
“Our build-out is three to 400k people and so we're only about 10% built out right now so we have 90% to go,” Lawmer added.
The Costco deal comes with incentives. The city has agreed to share some of the sales tax with the company.
Terry, a seventh-generation Collin County resident, said the city will keep growing while the small-town feel remains.
“We just opened our third fire station, we just broke ground on our first real police complex,” Mayor Terry said. “We put a high emphasis on this being a safe good community.”
The Celina Costco is expected to break ground in three to six months and could open as early as 2024.
