‘Biloxi is a hot spot.’ New construction on the Coast is $26 million ahead of last year.

Construction of new hotels and attractions is under way across the Coast and especially in Biloxi, where an amusement park, two new sports bars, an indoor water attraction, two axe-throwing venues and a multi-level go-kart track are on the way.

The Treen Report shows $170 million in building permits have been issued across South Mississippi this year. That’s an 18 percent increase over the $144 million for the same time last year.

“Construction breeds construction,” said Jerry Creel, Biloxi’s community development director. “Right now Biloxi is a hot spot of development.”

Creel said developers are calling to ask him what’s happening in the city and he responds with a long list of projects. “Currently we have about $65 million worth of commercial construction going on,” he said, even before these new projects.

Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 washed away water slides, goofy golf and other beach attractions, Biloxi has had calls for more family entertainment, he said.

“First we had to bring the families back,” he said. The city’s population has returned to near pre-Katrina numbers, he said, and 150 houses are under construction, many of them in the Woolmarket area north of Interstate 10.

Here’s a list of Biloxi’s commercial projects:

▪ Construction of another new hotel, this one at the site of the former Santa Maria in downtown, should to be done in September, Stewart said. Hotel Legends Biloxi, an all-suite hotel, will boast a poolside light show and a fine dining restaurant.

▪ The Keller residence at 125 Rue Magnolia is being converted to a bed and breakfast.

▪ A large site on Veterans Avenue is being cleared for an RV resort with “an indoor water attraction that’s like nothing on the Coast,” said Marques Thomas, chief operating officer for United Majestic RV Resorts. The company operates Majestic Oaks on Pass Road and also announced plans to build an upscale RV park on U.S. 90 called Majestic Beach: The Show Place. Thomas said the name ties in to Jayne Mansfield, who played at the Showplace in London before she came to Biloxi to perform at the Gus Stevens club. Thomas said the beach property will start as an event space during Cruisin’ The Coast.

▪ RW Development is preparing to expand Big Play Entertainment Center to the east side of Veterans Avenue. Plans are still fluid, but manager Brandon Wooldridge said back on the table are plans to add a multi-level go-kart track along with an additional attraction or two. Inside the building that houses the bowling alley, axe-throwing lanes are nearly ready. “We took it to the next level,” Wooldridge said of safety features. “We built it in a full cage.” South Beach Event Center just opened on Veterans Avenue in the former VFW building with 10,000 square feet of meeting space and a South Beach Pavilion at South Beach Biloxi hotel will have 5,000 square feet of outdoor event space when it opens in about a month.

Skål Axe Throwing venue is opening this fall in East Biloxi.

▪ The transformation of downtown Biloxi began when Howard Avenue was paved in brick and returned to two-way traffic. Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said work will start by October on The District on Howard, a $54 million housing, entertainment and retail project downtown. The city is making critical repairs to the Saenger Theatre in downtown Biloxi and Gilich said they will begin talking to several parties interested in restoring and operating the historic theater.

▪ Groundbreaking for a three-story, 15,000-square foot Community Bank is Sept. 5 at Lameuse Street and Howard Avenue. The top level of the bank will have a community room and two rooftop terraces for entertaining.

▪ Less than a year after opening sports books, two Biloxi casinos already upgraded their game and unveiled new sports bars. The Beau Rivage Resort & Casino debuted TAP Book, Bar & Bistreaux with more than 100 high definition screens and a giant 24-foot wide video wall with 70 screens that project one huge view of the game or split screens. The new sports venue at Harrah’s Gulf Coast is the 406 Club, which pays tribute to the club in downtown Biloxi where sports betting happened long before it was legalized. Rather than man caves, the 406 Club has three fan caves that friends and family can reserve for the game, or they can play beer pong and foosball and watch the games on the massive TV wall.

▪ On the Biloxi Strip, Slap’s Catfish House, a sister company of Slap ‘ya Momma’s BBQ, is open with all-you-can-eat specials and Southern favorites. At Treasure Bay Casino, a new parking lot was created on the west side of the building to prepare for the coming 3-story garage with a new restaurant and expanded casino on the east side.

▪ Margaritaville Resort Biloxi Phases II and III are being built at the same time, Greg Stewart with Biloxi Lodging told the Development Review Committee. The amusement park and waterfront hotel will go up together. A 200-foot tall Ferris wheel is being built in the Netherlands, he said, and the first AEROBAR ride in the United States is coming from France. The ride will rise over the park, rotating slowly to take in the water and city views. A bar is in the middle of the ride, which takes 2 minutes to go up and down and 5 minutes on the top, according to the company website.

Among the other major projects on the Coast, work continues on the Mississippi Aquarium in downtown Gulfport, which is expected to open late this year or early in 2020.

The new Merchants & Marine Bank has opened on U.S. 90 in Gautier and a new Early Childhood Development Center is under construction at the Perkinston campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

New businesses open

• Ladidaa Boutique, 871-C Howard Ave., Biloxi
• Biloxi Secondliners Mardi Gras Club, 671 Division St., Biloxi
• Full Spectrum CBD4U, 1636 Popp’s Ferry Road, Biloxi
• High Proof Wine & Liquor, 1888 Beach Blvd., Biloxi
• National Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute, 19289 Saint Joseph St., Tradition, Biloxi
• Singing River Healthplex Spa, 3101 Denny Ave., Pascagoula
• Singing River Baby Cafe, 2809 Denny Ave., Women and Children’s (3^rd floor), Pascagoula
• FPC of Ocean Springs, 1211 Government St., Ocean Springs
• Goodwill Megastore, 2957 Bienville Blvd., Ocean Springs, with career center and internet cafe
• The Shoppes at Washington Ave., 6835 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs, including The Liquor House, Royal Nails Lounge, The Fudge Shack, No Smoke About It, Donutlicious
• West Jackson County Utility District new operations center, 7200 McCann Road, St. Martin
• Ray Brandt Nissan of South Mississippi, 11600 Bobby Eleuterius Blvd., D’Iberville
• Mosquito Marshals, 10311-B Boney Ave., D’Iberville
• The Wellness Boutique, 2352 E. Pass Road, Gulfport
• Huntington Learning Center, 8950 Lorraine Road, Gulfport
• Stevenson Elite Renovations residential contractor, Gulfport
• Berkshire Hathaway - 777 Watkins Ave., Gulfport
• Fatherless and Widows, 207 Klondyke Road, Long Beach
• Beach Dawgs, 102 Beach Blvd. E., Long Beach
• Mississippi Sound & Video, 300 Davis Ave., Pass Christian
• Lazy Gator Sports Bar & Steamer, 3410 Yacht Club Circle, Diamondhead
• King Waste Services, 2118 U.S. 90, Bay St. Louis
• Fast Pace Urgent Care Clinic, 451 U.S. 90, Waveland
• Exit Prestige Luxury Realty, 1121 Jackson Ave., Pascagoula
• Quality Bakery, 1623 25^th Ave., Gulfport
• South Beach Event Center, 289 Veterans Blvd., Biloxi
• Merchants & Marine Bank new branch at 1200 U.S. 90, Gautier

Ribbon cuttings

• Aug. 23 — Stars & Stripes Realty, 12483 Dedeaux Road, Gulfport
• Aug. 23 — Entrekin Insurance Agency, 10432 Lemoyne Blvd., D’Iberville
• Aug. 27 — Ashleigh Fallo, State Farm Insurance, 10049 Doris Deno Ave., D’Iberville
• Aug. 30 — Russell Cellular, 140 Eisenhower Drive, Biloxi
• Sept. 3 — Paper Moon, 1107 Cowan Road, Gulfport
• Sept. 5 — Coast Reliable Insurance, 304 U.S. 90, Waveland
• Sept. 5 — Community Bank, corner of Lameuse Street and Howard Avenue, Biloxi
• Sept. 6 — Magic Vegan Cafe, 1723-B 25th Ave., Gulfport
• Sept. 10 — Christine LLC new location at 1763 Market St., Pascagoula
• Sept. 14 — Boozer’s Brew & Cafe Too, 1921 15^th St., Gulfport
• Sept. 19 — Glass Inc, 14057 Fastway Lane, Gulfport
• Sept. 25 — Liz & Nomies Gourmet Eats, 4006 8th St., Gulfport
• Sept. 27 — i9Sports, Soccer Fields, 5004 Espy Ave., Long Beach

Going up on the Coast

Major projects on the Treen Report that have been issued building permits are:

• $1.6 million — Field House for Hancock County School District, 7084 Stennis Airport Drive, Kiln
• $1.5 million — New building for Bay Waveland School District, 701 Athletic Drive, Bay St. Louis
• $900,000 — New Taco Bell at 7402 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs
• $550,000 — Convenience store/gas station at 12251 Canal Road, Gulfport
• $530,000 — McAllister’s Deli, 4101 Hospital Road, Pascagoula
• $415,000 — Virtual Golf at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi
• $381,000 — MLK Community Center, 442 Herlihy St., Waveland
• $348,000 — Renovation of 16 buildings by Biloxi Housing Authority at 330 Benachi Ave., Biloxi
• $323,000 — Addition to Woolmarket Library, 13034 Kayleigh Cove, Biloxi
• $300,000 — New building at 9319 Woolmarket Road, Biloxi
• $276,000 — Renovation for Rushmore Edgewater at 3650 Beach Blvd., Biloxi
• $269,000 — Renovation at Michael Memorial Baptist Church, 15053 John Clark Road, Gulfport
• $250,000 — Renovation of bathrooms at Merit Health, 147 Reynoir St., Biloxi
• $245,000 — Fuel Canopy at Fayard’s, 12251 Canal Road, Gulfport
• $225,000 — Renovation at McDonald’s, 228 E. Beach Blvd., Long Beach
• $225,000. — Renovation at McDonald’s, 3919 Bienville Blvd., Ocean Springs
• $220,000 — Renovation by Ronald Keller for bed & breakfast, 125 Rue Magnolia, Biloxi
• $219,000 — Art/music building at Hope Academy, 1234 Alphabet Road, Gulfport
• $202,000 — Renovation of Walmart at 3911 Bienville Blvd., Ocean Springs
• $174,000 — Addition at Murphy Law, 2336 Government St., Ocean Springs
• $160,000 — 20-unit boat storage at 1079 Tina Ladner Vic Faye Road, Pass Christian
• $150,000 — New Makerspace at Coast Episcopal Church, 5065 Espy Ave., Long Beach
• $150,000 — Tulane offices, 1310 27th Ave., Gulfport
• $145,000 — Addition at Coast Episcopal School, 5065 Espy Ave., Long Beach
• $120,000 — Renovation of pharmacy at Merit Health, 150 Reynoir St., Biloxi
• $100,000 — Renovation for Lori Rolison/Little Peoples, 17071 W. Wortham Road, Saucier
• $100,000 — Renovation at KFC, 941 Cedar Lake Road, Biloxi
• $90,000 — Renovation at Walmart, 4253 Denny Ave., Pascagoula
• $80,000 — Pavilion at South Beach, 1735 Beach Blvd., Biloxi
• $78,000 — Renovation at Walmart, 3911 Bienville Blvd., Ocean Springs
• $19,000 — Renovation and restrooms at Aviation Museum, 429 Pass Road, Gulfport
• $10,000 — Addition and renovation at Slap Ya Mama’s BBQ, 228 E. Beach Blvd., Biloxi

Liquor licenses

• C.A. Sarducci’s Pizzeria, 1308 27^th Ave., Gulfport
• 1052 Howard Ave Bar/Restaurant 1052 Howard Avenue, Biloxi
• Bonfire Restaurant, 273 Caillavet St., Biloxi
• Whiskey Prime, 115 Davis Ave., Pass Christian
• Skål Axe Throwing, 918 Howard Ave., Biloxi
• Cheers Lounge II, 1603 28^th St., Gulfport
• Red Light Bar and Grill, 2609 14^th St., Gulfport
• The District on the Alley, downtown Gulfport

Mary Perez

Sun Herald

601-909-0649

Mary has won numerous awards for her business and casino articles for the Sun Herald. She also writes about Biloxi, jobs and the new restaurants and development coming to the Coast. She is a fourth-generation journalist.