City officials celebrated breaking ground on the new Downtown Center, previously referred to as Celina’s government center, and its accompanying parking garage Oct. 15.
Quote of note
“It’s a monumental day for the history of Celina,” Mayor Ryan Tubbs said. “This is another step in the community’s investment to expand our library [and] be able to offer stellar services from the staff ... to support our existing residents as well as our future residents.”
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Celina City Council members approved a $19.3 million maximum price for the Downtown Center’s 400-space parking garage in September. The parking garage will help alleviate some of the congestion in downtown Celina, Tubbs said.
“This [downtown center project] has been a long time coming,” Tubbs said. “About five years ago, the city adopted its downtown master plan, and this is just one step in that process.”
The Downtown Center is estimated to cost around $93 million altogether.
The center, which will be a three-story and roughly 100,000-square-foot building, will be located at the corner of Walnut Street and Arizona Drive next to the existing City Council chambers. The center will bring all of Celina’s city staff to one facility opposed to the separate buildings multiple departments have been using.
Aside from providing a centralized hub for city departments, other center amenities include:
- A library space almost 10 times its current size
- Community rooftop deck and event space
- Indoor atrium area
What comes next?
The parking garage is expected to open in October 2025. Once it opens, construction can kick off on the rest of the center, which is expected to open in November 2026.
“This Downtown Center will bring generations together to gather, learn and celebrate, where we will continue to live our life connected,” Tubbs said.
