The overview
Celina officials have approved plans for several developments in recent months that bring more land and homes into the city.
In May, Celina City Council approved plans for three new single-family neighborhoods that could bring nearly 500 more homes and 196 acres of land to the city.
More homes are up for consideration in Prosper as well.
At a June 17 meeting, the Prosper Planning and Zoning Commission discussed a proposed 373.5-acre project that could bring a few hundred more homes to the town.
The plans for the proposed development, called Prosper Oaks, call for 275 single-family homes and 525 age-restricted units for those 55 and older. The project was tabled and is still being considered by Prosper officials.
The numbers
Single-family home permit filings have increased year-over-year in Celina between 2022-24. In that same time, these filings have decreased in Prosper.
Tom Cawthon, president of the Dallas division of home builder Taylor Morrison, said Prosper is approaching build-out. He suspects this may be slowing down single-family home growth in the town and sending it to neighboring Celina.
“The next logical step northward is Celina,” Cawthon said. “[Celina] is destined to grow at that same rate that Plano did back in the day and that Frisco did and that we’ve seen Prosper experience. Celina is next.”
The reason builders keep developing in the Prosper-Celina area is its proximity to long-standing employment centers along the Dallas North Tollway, Cawthon said. The continued expansion of the toll road northward into Grayson County will bring even more growth to the area, he said.
What they’re saying
These developments are bringing in both needed amenities and infrastructure to Prosper and Celina.
In Celina, for example, another 217 homes will be built as part of a development called the Parks at Wilson Creek. In May, city officials approved an agreement to help fund the first phase of the development, which is set to include 49 homes.
Single-family residential projects are also fueling growth in the commercial sectors of both Prosper and Celina, officials said.
“The increase in single-family homes in Celina will allow us to attract retailers and restaurants of all sizes and will contribute to the city’s future commercial growth,” Celina City Manager Robert Ranc said.
David Hoover, Prosper’s director of development services, said single-family developments are a main driving factor behind commercial growth in the town.
“You’ve got thoughtful growth by those city leaders that have positioned them to be a true destination of choice for new home buyers in DFW,” Tom Cawthon, president of the Dallas division of home builder Taylor Morrison, said.
“Single family neighborhoods are a significant part of Celina’s growth,” Ranc said.
The bottom line
Leaders in both Prosper and Celina are being intentional about the projects they’re bringing in through developer agreements.
Celina officials often create development agreements to builders that outline future annexation and zoning of the land, as well as other developer obligations, said Dusty McAfee, Celina’s director of development services. This process helps ensure that developments abide by Celina’s long-range plans.
Practices like this are setting up Prosper and Celina to become the next big cities in the metroplex, Cawthon said.
“They know the growth is coming and so they’ve worked really hard to prepare for it and it really shows,” Cawthon said.
