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La Terra at Uptown Celina: Homes, Schools, Builders and What to Verify
La Terra at Uptown Celina is a neighborhood of about 176 single-family homes inside Uptown Celina, the master-planned development on the north side of Celina, Texas, where roughly 2,800 lots are planned across four neighborhoods. Homes here are built by Pacesetter Homes on 40-foot and 60-foot homesites, with a large plan library and personalization options, and the neighborhood is zoned to Celina ISD. It sits near Highway 289 and Preston Road with access to the Dallas North Tollway. Nitin Gupta, CRS, GRI, Broker Associate with Competitive Edge Realty, represents buyers and sellers here and across Celina. Call 469-269-6541 or contact Nitin to start with a conversation.
One builder, one neighborhood, inside a much larger plan
La Terra is a single-builder neighborhood within Uptown Celina, alongside The Heights at Uptown Celina, The Ranch at Uptown and North Square at Uptown. That structure has two practical consequences. First, the amenities described in marketing may belong to the wider master plan, to another neighborhood, or to a phase not yet built, so ask which facilities your specific address includes and what the timing is for anything still planned. Second, with one builder here, your comparison is not between builders on the same street but between La Terra and the neighborhoods around it, which have different builders, price points and lot widths. Getting that comparison right is most of the decision.
Schools: Celina ISD
La Terra is in Celina ISD, and listing data for the community has shown Marcy B. Lykins Elementary and Celina Junior High. Celina ISD is growing quickly and opening campuses as the city builds out, so attendance zones shift and can differ between phases within the same master plan. Confirm the assigned elementary, middle and high school campuses for the specific homesite with the district before you write an offer rather than relying on a builder page or a listing's school fields. Compare districts with the DFW school district ratings guide.
HOA dues and taxes
HOA dues at La Terra have been published at about $71 a month, roughly $850 a year, covering common area maintenance and community amenities. Separately, confirm every taxing entity for the specific address with the City of Celina and the Collin Central Appraisal District, including whether a MUD or PID assessment applies, at what rate and for how long. Several Celina communities carry one, and on a home in this price range the assessment changes the monthly payment more than most upgrade decisions. Read the MUD vs. PID guide.
Homes and pricing
Pacesetter offers a large plan library at La Terra across 40-foot and 60-foot homesites, with to-be-built homes that can be personalized as well as move-in ready inventory. Published starting prices have been around $340,000, while completed models on the narrower homesites have listed closer to $495,000, so the spread between a base plan and a finished model with upgrades is wide here. Ask for the base price, the lot premium and the cost of the specific finishes you are seeing in the model, separately, and compare total monthly cost rather than the advertised starting number. For a current read on a specific home, use the home value analysis or contact Nitin.
Amenities and open space
La Terra includes more than 20 acres of open green space with walking trails and landscaping, and the plan calls for resort-style amenities as the community matures. Marketing describes much of this in the future tense, which is the honest version: confirm what is built and open today, what is contractually committed, and what is a rendering. In a neighborhood of 176 homes inside a much larger plan, some facilities will serve all of Uptown Celina rather than La Terra alone.
Buying new construction here
The builder's sales representative works for the builder, not for you. New construction means a builder contract rather than the standard Texas promulgated form, with the builder's own terms on deposits, construction timelines, change orders and what happens if the build is delayed. In a to-be-built home, the design center is where budgets move fastest, and not every upgrade returns its cost at resale. Lot position relative to future phases, main roads and the amenity areas is the one decision you cannot revisit. Read who represents you at a Texas model home, and learn how new construction buyer representation works. Compare builders in the DFW builder guides and the builder FAQ hub.
Location and commute
La Terra sits near Highway 289 and Preston Road, with the Dallas North Tollway carrying commutes south toward Frisco, Plano and Dallas, and US-380 running east and west. Celina's historic downtown square and its events calendar are a short drive, and retail along Preston Road continues to expand. This part of Collin County is still building out, so roads and services change from year to year. Drive your own commute at the hours you would travel before choosing a homesite.
Comparing La Terra with nearby communities
Inside Uptown Celina, The Heights offers a walkable, multi-builder neighborhood with golf cart access to downtown. Elsewhere in Celina, Hillside Village is a smaller community with a confirmed PID, Green Meadows and Cross Creek Meadows are also Celina ISD, Cambridge Crossing includes yard maintenance in its dues, Light Farms is larger and mostly Prosper ISD, Edgewood Creek publishes a tax rate near 2%, and Century Farms pairs a Celina address with McKinney ISD. School district, assessments, dues and lot width are what separate them. See top DFW master-planned communities.
Selling a home in La Terra
Sellers here compete with the builder's own inventory in the same neighborhood and with new releases elsewhere in Uptown Celina. Pricing works best against recent sales on the same homesite width, and upgrades that felt significant at the design center do not always show up in the comparable sales. See the seller marketing plan and seller services, or learn about landlord leasing services if you plan to rent the home out.
La Terra at Uptown Celina FAQs
Who builds at La Terra at Uptown Celina?
Pacesetter Homes, on 40-foot and 60-foot homesites, with a large plan library of to-be-built homes plus move-in ready inventory.
What school district serves La Terra?
Celina ISD. Listing data for the community has shown Marcy B. Lykins Elementary and Celina Junior High. Confirm all assigned campuses for the specific homesite with the district, since zones shift as Celina ISD opens schools.
How many homes are in La Terra, and how does it relate to Uptown Celina?
About 176 single-family homes are planned at La Terra, which is one neighborhood within Uptown Celina, where roughly 2,800 lots are planned across four neighborhoods, including The Heights, The Ranch and North Square.
What are the HOA dues at La Terra?
About $71 a month, roughly $850 a year, covering common area maintenance and community amenities. Confirm the current amount and what it includes for the specific home.
Does La Terra have a MUD or PID?
Confirm this for the specific homesite with the City of Celina and the Collin Central Appraisal District before signing. Several Celina communities carry an assessment in addition to regular property taxes.
What do homes cost at La Terra?
Published starting prices have been around $340,000, while finished models on narrower homesites have listed closer to $495,000. Ask for base price, lot premium and upgrade costs separately, and compare total monthly cost.
Work With Nitin Gupta in Celina
Nitin Gupta is a Broker Associate with Competitive Edge Realty with 480+ closed DFW transactions, 13 professional designations including CRS and GRI, and D Magazine Best REALTOR® recognition in 2020, 2023 and 2024. He serves clients in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Gujarati. Read client reviews, watch model home tours on his YouTube channel, or call 469-269-6541.