BY JACOB VAUGHN
What else?
The background
Downtown is changing in a number of ways even outside of the ongoing redevelopment. The city’s Ousley Park, which will run through downtown, is in the works. City Council members are currently in talks about what a future reconstruction of the downtown square could look like. The EDC is working on a study to solidify the branding of downtown, Satarino said, but there is no set timeline yet.
Satarino said downtown businesses will be able to serve even more people now that the parking garage is open. “When you’re visiting, that parking garage serves as an anchor. You know where to go,” he said. “You don’t necessarily have to keep driving around the square hunting for parking.” City leaders included this parking in the Celina downtown master plan when it was adopted in 2020. Celina City Council voted to name the government facility the Downtown Center in September 2024. Once the center and parking garage are com- pleted, Tubbs said downtown will be a thriving area where residents and visitors can “connect, engage and contribute to the city’s future.”
Anthony Satarino, director of the Celina Eco- nomic Development Corp., said the new parking garage downtown will be an “economic catalyst” for the area. “Downtown continues to be the heart and soul of our city,” Satarino said. Residents and business owners in the area have expressed that parking has been a consistent chal- lenge when it comes to frequenting downtown, he said. The garage was a necessary project to further incentivize downtown’s foot traffic, he said. “[No parking garage] limits some of those visits and can also limit some of the time spent down- town,” he said. Downtown Celina saw about 867,000 visitors in 2024, according to the corporation.
The new Downtown Center will have 20,000 square feet of library space.
The impact
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Removing the barrier of limited parking will allow people to linger longer and shop and dine more frequently downtown, Satarino said. “It’s going to support our existing merchants,” Satarino said. “It makes downtown more accessible.” He also sees the additional parking as freeing up some land opportunities for redevelopment and new investment in downtown. Areas in downtown where parking currently exists may be able to be redeveloped in the future now that the city has the garage, Satarino said.
Sales tax revenue generated in downtown Celina
Generated sales tax revenue
The new Downtown Center will also include community meeting rooms.
2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Fiscal year SOURCE: CITY OF CELINA/COMMUNITY IMPACT
2024-25 2023-24
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