Celina has spent more than $93 million on its downtown, according to a Dallas Morning News report published Sunday on how fast-growing Collin County cities are trying to build walkable town centers.
That money covers an enlarged town square, a parking garage and a new building that will house city offices and the library, the paper reported. The garage is finished, and the city buildings are expected to open early next year.
Anthony Satarino, president of the Celina Economic Development Corporation, told the paper the goal is to bring people downtown on weekdays, not just to the restaurants and stores that fill up in the evenings and on weekends. "That keeps daytime population here," he said, "which is critical for us."
The report puts Celina's population at about 64,000 and says the city is expected to reach 350,000 at buildout, which would make it bigger than Frisco.
City leaders are chasing big-box retail along Preston Road and offices along the Dallas North Tollway extension to help keep residential taxes low, the paper reported, but they also wanted to make sure the historic core was not left behind.
The economic development corporation has given incentives to developers to bring more offices and shops to the square. One of them, Donny Churchman, is building a $15 million project at the edge of downtown near the railroad tracks, with commercial space on the ground floor and homes above it.
He told the paper he wants to give small business owners "an opportunity to live where they work."