Just like Frisco and Plano before, Celina is next in line to become one of North Texas’ boomtowns. As previously reported by Local Profile, Celina’s exponential population growth over the past couple of years is changing its landscape, and in turn, the new residents are attracting new businesses.
Part of Celina’s advantage is its strategic location — only a 15-minute drive away from Frisco. The Collin County town is near major commercial centers connected thanks to Preston Road running through the city. This perk will only be favored by the new Dallas North Tollway expansion and last year big brands like Cotsco tried to get ahead of the curve by securing a spot in the up-and-coming town.
It’s not just retail companies that are eying Celina, real estate firms have big plans for the city. In April 2022, Centurion American Development Group broke ground to begin the construction of a 3,200-acre community with 7,000 single-family homes and another 4,100 multifamily units. Now Rockhill Capital & Investments teamed up with Toll Brothers, the Pennsylvania-based building company behind several developments across Collin County, to bring The Ranch a new residential community to uptown Celina.
According to the Dallas Business Journal, The Ranch, located two miles east of the future Dallas North Tollway, will feature 450 single-family units that are expected to be available in 2024.
“Uptown Celina will be an extension of downtown, offering ‘backyard’ access via its trails,” said in an official statement Ryan Griffin, principal at Rockhill Capital & Investments. “We are excited to advance this project alongside talented builder partners, Taylor Morrison and Toll Brothers, starting with The Ranch at uptown Celina.”
When asked about why Celina, Griffin told WFAA that he believes it’s poised to become another Frisco. In addition to masterplanning the city, the government in Celina is willing to invest in its community. “Their EDC focuses on their downtown area in a very similar way to how McKinney did their downtown area over the last 20 years through both private-public partnerships and to some extent organic growth,” added Griffin.
According to Griffin, Taylor Morrison and Toll Brothers' plans are close to being approved, and they hope to start working on the first phase in the next 60 to 90 days. At full buildout, the project will hold a 2,500-lot community.