Traveling north along the Dallas North Tollway you’ll pass the usual suspects — Frisco, McKinney, Prosper, and now Celina. Just a few miles north of the now-booming Celina rests the small town of Gunter.
With a population of around 2,500, Gunter is a quaint, small piece of Grayson County on the outskirts of development. But according to Gunter City Manager Rick Chaffin, that’ll soon change.
Gunter is next-in-line to experience the growth, as Chaffin expects an influx of new housing developments could cause the city’s population to more than double at full build.
“Everything is trending upward,” Chaffin said.
In Grayson County, Gunter is Booming
Chaffin, who has been city manager since June 2020, said Gunter had no major subdivision since 2004 when Centurion American built The Bridges. He said the project “boomed” in 2012.
Centurion American is now preparing for phase two of that project, which includes approximately 650 homes, golf course lots, and enhanced landscaping. Dirt work on phase two of this project is expected in 30-60 days. It is expected to take five to seven years to complete the project.
He added a second development will encompass around 54 acres with one-acre-sized lots for homes.
The new developments could cause Gunter to experience a 100 percent growth rate, with Chaffin saying the rural town has garnered more interest in recent years.
But development is slow, mostly due to the lack of water and wastewater service in some areas of town. Chaffin added there are planned developments from more than a decade ago that are still waiting on water and wastewater services.
That is about to change as the city has agreed to a deal with Aubrey-based Mustang Special Utility District to handle its water and wastewater. Chaffin said that he “fully expects the onslaught of development” once MSUD is providing those services.
While noting the growth won’t be anywhere close to what Celina and Frisco are experiencing, the town’s density will see a “significant increase.”
Staying Ahead of The Curve
Chaffin said the city is taking appropriate measures over the past two years to set up a capital improvement program, funds are allocated for police and fire — which has been volunteer lead for years — and are looking for a city planner.
“We’re at a different place now where we need to prepare for the future,” Chaffin said.
And preparing for the future is nothing new for Chaffin. Having spent nearly three decades in city government, Chaffin has worked in towns as small as Lampasses, Texas, and as large as Roswell, Georgia, which has a population of more than 90,000.
He is also no stranger to North Texas, as he served as McKinney’s Deputy City Manager from 2006 to 2012 and was the city manager in Denton County’s Corinth from 2013 to 2016.
Chafin said McKinney saw vast growth during his tenure, expanding the police force, building and equipping several new fire stations, and growing parks, roads and utility services. McKinney’s population rose to over 160,000 from 101,500 during his time in the city.
The city also permitted 3,600 homes in one year.
However, he noted the challenge in a small town like Gunter is to main that small-town feel and have growth “represent values of the citizens.”
“When growth comes it’s hard to maintain a sense of identity … we need to embrace the small town culture no matter how big we become,” he said.
Another challenge for a smaller city is competing with larger, neighboring towns for the same candidates for staff positions. Chaffin noted Gunter has been “very effective” in doing that so far, as they are bringing “experienced, seasoned” individuals on board with the education, experience, and desire to want to be in Gunter.
“You really have to want to work in Gunter,” he said.
