Celina officials discussed potential uses for the former restaurant space they acquired in January.
Officials hope to use the purchase to create a “spillover effect” that will draw people downtown and benefit existing businesses, said Anthony Satarino, director of the Celina Economic Development Corp. Satarino gave a presentation on potential uses for the space at a Feb. 10 Celina City Council meeting.
The setup
The Forge 1912, a family-owned steakhouse that closed its doors last summer, previously occupied the 4,600-square-foot building at 132 N. Louisiana Drive. About 35% of the property is made up of an open patio city officials plan to use as a “concentrated outdoor and community space,” Satarino said.
City officials already host events such as Cajun Fest, Beware! of the Square and Friday Night Market downtown.
Satarino said the patio space will be used to host smaller, more frequent activities such as trivia or movie nights to help drive foot traffic outside of major events.
As for the indoor component, Satarino said his team is looking for tenants with a “unique-to-Celina concept.”
His ideal tenant would be based in Celina, and if a tenant has other locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, they would have to demonstrate how they’ve modified their concept for the Celina market.
His office is also considering a market-style concept that could act as an incubator for multiple vendors, Satarino said.
More details
City officials purchased the property for $2.4 million using $400,000 from the city’s capital acquisition budget and $2,000,000 in revenue from a special taxation district designed to support development in downtown Celina, according to Satarino’s presentation.
Looking ahead
City staff will begin evaluating possible uses for the patio area, and Satarino said his team is reviewing “a lot of strong options” for tenants for the indoor space.
