Population explosion

Massive new development will add 11,000 homes in well-to-do Dallas suburb

Celina is having a home-building boom.

Facebook/City of Celina

Celina is going to be under construction for a while. Work is set to start later this year on a 3,200-acre development that will supply more than 11,000 single-family homes and apartments to the fast-growing, affluent Dallas suburb.

Farmers Branch-based Centurion American Development Group says the Legacy Hills project will be built near Legacy Drive and Celina Parkway. If three people lived in each planned residence, that would boost Celina’s population by about 33,000 — which by itself would eclipse the city’s current population.

According to a news release, Rex Glendenning, CEO of Austin-based REX Real Estate, brokered the land acquisition for Centurion American and its founder, Mehrdad Moayedi. Celina Mayor Sean Terry is vice president of Centurion American, according to his LinkedIn profile.

“We’re planning for Legacy Hills to become the most sought-after address in Collin County,” Moayedi says in the release. “With an array of onsite amenities, a prime location, and ample open space, this development will be a true lifestyle experience for future residents.”

Highlights of Legacy Hills include:

7,000 single-family homes.
4,100 multifamily units.
100 acres of commercial development.
27-acre sports park.
Two 12-acre parcels for future Celina ISD schools.
Two seven-acre fire and police stations.
Network of walking trails with abundant amenities.
Seven amenity centers.
Championship golf course.

“Rarely does an opportunity to acquire a several-thousand-acre, master-planned mixed-use development with over four miles of frontage along the Dallas North Tollway and only 20 minutes away from Legacy Business Park present itself,” Glendenning says.

The single-family subdivisions will be developed by seven homebuilders: Ashton Woods, Beazer Homes, DR Horton, First Texas Homes, Lennar Homes, M/I Homes, and Mattamy Homes.

Each subdivision will feature an amenity center with a community swimming pool and playscape area.

Through May 31, fast-growing Celina issued 1,352 residential building permits this year, beating the much larger Frisco (1,283).

Projections show Celina’s population eventually will reach 378,000. The city estimates the current population at 28,000. With a population of a little over 209,000, Frisco is about 10 times bigger than Celina.

In January, a ranking from data provider HomeSnacks indicated Celina jumped 11 spots — from No. 14 to No. 3 — on the list of Texas’ wealthiest cities. Median household income in Celina sits at $124,375, according to HomeSnacks.

home-for-sale

Bang for Buck

Surprising Dallas neighbor unlocks biggest apartments in DFW for $1,500

Photo courtesy of RentCafe

Mesquite has the biggest apartments on a budget in DFW.

Budget-conscious renters searching for the roomiest apartments in the region should look no further than Mesquite. According to a new study, the Dallas suburb boasts the most bang for your buck in terms of space in North Texas.

In 2026, Mesquite residents can rent just shy of 1,000 square feet (a 988-square-foot apartment) for $1,500 per month. That's eight square feet more than what they could get with the same budget last year.

RentCafe's annual report analyzes the places where renters can find the largest apartment sizes across 200 of the most populous U.S. cities for a monthly budget of $1,500. The price per square foot was calculated using the average apartment rent and size per city based on "multifamily properties" containing 50 or more units.

Mesquite offers the most spacious apartment size in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for $1,500, and the city boasts the 10th biggest apartments in Texas on that budget.

Elsewhere in the area, Denton saw the second biggest leap in apartment size nationwide since 2025, the report found. Renters there could lease an 835-square-foot apartment for $1,500 last year, and that has jumped to 862 square feet in 2026.

Dallas renters, on the other hand, will only net an 803-square-foot apartment for the same monthly cost, which is down 11 square feet from last year. Dallas ranks third from the bottom in the statewide list of cities that offer the largest apartments for the $1,500 price tag, with Frisco and Austin ranking even lower. Apartment hunters in Frisco will get only 798 square feet for $1,500.

Here's how much space you can get for $1,500 elsewhere in Dallas-Fort Worth this year, from largest to smallest:

Arlington – 927 square feet
Garland – 924 square feet
Fort Worth – 913 square feet
McKinney – 885 square feet
Grand Prairie – 873 square feet
Irving – 859 square feet
Plano – 820 square feet

Apartment sizes across Texas
For the second year in a row, South Texas is the region that has the most spacious apartments for a $1,500 monthly budget, RentCafe found.

McAllen leads the nation with the biggest apartment size – at 1,378 square feet – which is large enough for a three- or four-bedroom unit.

"With rents averaging just $993 and the typical apartment measuring 912 square feet, McAllen renters get a lot more space for their money than most Americans do within that monthly budget," the report said. "Still, that figure is down slightly from last year’s 1,393 square feet — a sign that even the most affordable markets are starting to tighten."

McAllen neighbor Brownsville ranks fourth statewide with apartments spanning 1,213 square feet for the same budget.

These are the top 10 Texas cities that offer the biggest apartments for $1,500 in 2026:

No. 1 – McAllen (1,378 square feet)
No. 2 – Amarillo (1,237 square feet)
No. 3 – Lubbock (1,217 square feet)
No. 4 – Brownsville (1,213 square feet)
No. 5 – El Paso (1,128 square feet)
No. 6 – Pasadena (1,125 square feet)
No. 7 – Corpus Christi (1,115 square feet)
No. 8 – Killeen (1,058 square feet)
No. 9 – San Antonio (1,023 square feet)
No. 10 – Mesquite (988 square feet)

real estate apartments housing rentcafe study dallas fort worth mesquite arlington frisco denton