Restaurants. Downtown living. Boardwalks. Take a look at $2B in Biloxi development
While many people stayed home during the coronavirus pandemic, planners and developers in Biloxi were preparing $2 billion in projects for when the country opens up again.
“Transformational projects,” Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich called them in his recent State of Biloxi virtual presentation. He said Biloxi has a vision — and a plan — to take these proposed projects beyond pretty pictures and make them a part of the city.
It’s happening at The District on Howard, where the former JC Penney building has been vacated and is being prepared for renovations and the first lease is signed for a business at the historic Barq building, said Bobby Gillon, director of marketing and leasing.
The announcement of what that new business will be is expected on March 5, when the District Green will open with a block party and give the public a feel for what is coming downtown.
It was tough during the pandemic shutdown last spring, he said, and in the months to follow as investors waited to see what would happen.
“Leasing pretty much came to a halt,” he said.
“We’re hoping and expecting and planning on things opening up,” he said, and he expects three more tenants to sign leases soon and the first businesses to open in late spring and summer.
More parking is needed for the new businesses downtown and when the Biloxi Shuckers resume play at MGM Park, where the home opener is scheduled for May 11.
Biloxi’s public works department is making enhancements to the parking area under the I-110 bridge, Gillon said, creating a walkway to the new Fly Llama Brewing and the Martini’s bar and restaurant that will open at the Machado Patano building. The area will be strung with lights to make it safe and inviting, he said.
Gilich said the transformation of Howard Avenue began when the street was paved in brick.
Now, work is underway to transform the old Josette’s costume shop on Howard into 23 high-end apartments with two ground- level retail spaces. Owner Jourdan Nicaud said the apartments will be ready by the end of the year.
His family continues to make repairs on the historic Magnolia Hotel into Field’s Flights steak and oyster house. Until the work is complete, the chefs are giving a preview with a pop-up restaurant at their sister restaurant, Fill-Up with Billups, just down the street.
The first step to restoring the downtown Saenger Theatre was getting the exterior secure.
“Contractors have wrapped up the renovations to the fly tower, or the large area that houses the stage equipment,” Gilich said. Now they will begin sealing bricks on the outside to help reduce future interior damage.
The big developments on the horizon in Biloxi are casinos — the $1.2 billion UMUSIC resort proposed by Universal Music at the former Broadwater site in West Biloxi, and a proposed $700 million casino at the Tivoli site in East Biloxi. The rock band Kiss planned to cut the ribbon on a Rock & Brews casino resort in East Biloxi, just as the pandemic hit.
Each of the casinos faces challenges, most notably to raise the money needed to go to the Mississippi Gaming Commission and get permission to proceed. UMUSIC casino is expected to draw 2 million visitors a year but doesn’t have easy access from the interstate. The Tivoli property also needs site approval from the Gaming Commission and Rock & Brews has a choice waterfront site but is tucked away off U.S. 90.
Gilich said that construction value in the city was $30.8 million more in 2020 than in 2019, with permits issued for 465 commercial projects and 968 homes and residences.
“We saw completion of apartment complexes, homes and businesses such as Pep Boys Automotive Center on Highway 90, Shipley Do-Nuts on Popp’s Ferry and The Cannery Bar n’ Grill on Shriners Boulevard in Woolmarket,” he said. “We saw permits issued and construction begin for the new Community Bank Building in downtown, the Biloxi Public Schools Performing Arts Center and the Margaritaville amusement park — just to name a few.”
Now that repairs are nearly complete at Margaritaville Resort Biloxi, it will reopen March 10 after being closed since Hurricane Zeta in October. A reopening celebration is scheduled for March 12, with Blackwater Brass entertaining from 6:45-9:45 p.m. and fireworks at 7 p.m. Crews now are moving to building the amusement park adjacent in the next phase of the resort development.
Here are some of the other projects that recently opened or are coming to Biloxi:
▪ A new Starbucks outside Edgewater Mall, next to McDonald’s, has gone through the Biloxi Development Review process.
▪ Ohr-O’Keefe Museum staff has asked for permission to build a labyrinth on the Tullis property, a vacant lot at 369 Beach Blvd., owned by the city. It will be made of packed red clay and oyster shells.
▪ A $3.2 million visitor center at Keesler Air Force Base is on the way and a new Keesler gate is under construction on Division Street. “When complete, it’s going to be a 4-lane boulevard from I-110 directly into a new, safer, more secure main entrance to the base,” Gilich said.
▪ With the emphasis on outdoor amenities, the second phase of the West Biloxi Boardwalk is complete from Veterans Avenue to Camellia Street. Work is beginning on a $2 million Bay View Boardwalk along Back Bay Boulevard with access to the water from Forrest Avenue to Kensington Drive.
▪ A $2 million Seawall Walkway from Oak Street to the Small Craft Harbor will be a walkway and a pilot project built with an 18 inch knee wall to help keep sand off Highway 90.
▪ The Woolmarket City Center has a new place for special events in the building shared with the Harrison County Library.
▪ Also in Woolmarket, the new City park at Eagle Point is under construction, with a soccer field and walking trails in phase I. Pickleball and basketball courts and a pavilion are still to come in Phase II.
▪ The Blake resort-style assisted living and memory care opened this year on Popp’s Ferry Road.
▪ Several new housing subdivisions are on the way, including a $28 million expansion of Arbor Landing on Popp’s Ferry Road, a 209-lot subdivision by Elliott Homes on Shriners Boulevard in Woolmarket and a subdivision on Lickskillet Road and Mississippi 67 with single family homes and townhomes.
▪ Camp David RV River Resort is open, and a restaurant with coastal cuisine and a hotel are planned.
Although not within the city limits, Biloxi Bay RV Resort and Marina has a Biloxi address in St. Martin. The 62-acre luxury RV resort and marina will open this spring.
“We capitalize on our strong suits,” Gilich said, “waterfront access, natural beauty, friendly people, a safe community, with a low cost of living, and a place that millions want to visit every year.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
