Rex Glendenning reveals details for 600-acre 'legacy project' in Celina

Rex Glendenning reveals details for 600-acre 'legacy project' in Celina

Longtime land broker's mixed-use project to include retail, office, hotels and hundreds of single-family homes

Prominent land broker Rex Glendenning has spent decades facilitating deals for large mixed-use projects in North Texas. Now he aims to add to his legacy in his hometown of Celina with a project of his own.

He envisions the development, called King Place, as a mixed-use project with retail, office buildings, hotels and hundreds of single-family homes, plus denser, urban-style residences. Exact plans for what will be built and where on the 600-acre site have not been revealed.

As of today, land has been cleared and roads have been built — essentially, all the pieces are in place to begin vertical construction. But Glendenning, founder and owner of Frisco-based Rex Real Estate Inc., is in no rush — he said he is holding off until the right partners are ready to join him. That means the overall timeline is unclear, but deals being negotiated right now could result in more dirt turning next year.

Glendenning said he's reviewed "a lot of deals" but is waiting for a major advancement, such as a corporate relocation.

Already, Glendenning said the costs for infrastructure construction on water and roadways in King Place have totaled about $40 million.

"For 34 years, I've been buying green bananas up here and now they ripened up a little bit," Glendenning said, referring to his own land purchases through the years. "I feel good because I'm still alive to see at least the first or second phase [of] what I deem to be my legacy asset."

Lots for single-family homes haven't been carved out yet so it will be more than a year before the first homebuilders can begin work. But when the home sites are ready, the development will contribute to a single-family construction boom already underway in Celina. More than 2,200 single-family building permits had been issued this year through Sept. 30 — up 17% from the same period last year. 

King Place is located along the recently extended stretch of the Dallas North Tollway, just north of Glendenning Parkway in Celina.

King Place in Celina is located along a recently extended stretch of the Dallas North Tollway and Glendenning Parkway in Celina. The tollway cuts through the southwestern quadrant of the 600-acre site.

Over the next several years, King Place could bring a new level of mixed-use development to the small city of Celina, the fastest-growing city in the nation last year.

In the 40-plus years that Glendenning has been doing land deals in and around Collin County, Celina's population has ballooned from 1,520 residents in 1980 to more than 43,000 today. Collin County has grown from about 144,600 people total to roughly 1.2 million over the same period.

The development is inspired by other mixed-use concepts Glendenning has helped bring to life. They include some of the biggest projects in Collin County, including Frisco Bridges, Granite Park, The Star, and The Gates of Prosper. The Dallas Morning News has described Glendenning as North Texas' "king of land sales."

Prominent North Texas business leaders attended an Oct. 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony for King Place, including Centurion American CEO Mehrdad Moayedi. Glendenning had brokered Centurion's purchase of more than 3,000 acres in Celina for Legacy Hills, a massive master-planned community slated for roughly 7,000 single-family homes, 4,000 apartments, an 18-hole golf course, a 27-acre sports park, and two Celina Independent School District campuses.

Overall, Glendenning sees King Place as an ideal site for large companies to build campuses, bringing thousands of jobs and excitement to the area. He hopes his project will emulate successful corporate hubs in Westlake, which is currently home to large companies such as Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab and Deloitte University.

"King Place is more than just land for future homes and businesses," Celina Mayor Ryan Tubbs said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "It symbolizes a deep connection between the people who helped make this project possible and the city that will thrive because of it."

And King Place is more than just a business project — it’s Glendenning’s vision for the future of Celina.

Glendenning's family history in Celina dates back to 1887, when his great-grandfather and other founding families first settled in the area. Now, with King Place, he is continuing their legacy by building something he hopes will be a lasting asset for his family and the entire Celina community.

"I've been doing it for everybody else [so] I decided I'd take the cheat sheet and start doing it myself," Glendenning said.

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