Celina is considering the development of a car dealership along Dallas North Tollway.
Celina City Council was scheduled to consider a request from Ewing Buick GMC to rezone roughly 20 acres in the Dallas North Tollway Overlay District, or DNTO, to allow for a car dealership at their Feb. 10 meeting.
The DNTO is Celina’s roadmap for how to use the high-value land along DNT following its expansion, which is expected to wrap up its first phase in late 2027, according to the North Texas Tollway Authority.
City Council’s discussion of the dealership was pushed back after Director of Development Services Dusty Mcafee said city staff are still working on the project.
The details
The proposed dealership is located at the southwest corner of two future roadways, Clear Creek Parkway and DNT.
City staff expect the dealership to support Celina’s economic development through job creation, tax revenue and community outreach, according to city documents.
While passenger vehicles are not subject to local sales tax, the city would have been able to collect property tax, inventory tax and sales tax on service parts.
Three residents of The Creeks of Legacy have sent emails opposing the project, though city documents say the dealership will have no residential adjacency.
The context
DNT is expected to be a driver of economic growth, and dealerships like Chevy, Honda and GMC have all expressed interest in building along future sections of the DNT in Celina, according to previous reporting.
“It’s more than a road, it’s a growth corridor,” said Anthony Satarino, Celina Economic Development Corp. director, at a Feb. 11 joint meeting with City Council.
City Council previously expressed mixed opinions about car dealerships along DNT.
“They're asking for us to rezone this land,” Mayor Pro Tem Brandon Grumbles said at a July 8 meeting. “Well, if we do that, then we're stuck with this land that's zoned automotive, and there's nothing we can do with it at that point.”
City Council recently rejected a request to rezone land for a Honda dealership in the high-rise portion of Celina’s DNTO.
Ewing Buick GMC wants to build in a different subzone which allows for more flexibility on the types and designs of potential developments compared to areas of the DNTO that are reserved for high-rise development, according to city documents.
Celina’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the rezoning request at a Jan. 15 meeting.
What’s next?
City Council will hold a public hearing and vote on the rezoning request at their next meeting March 10.
