Shotgun houses, brewery, restaurants, more: Here is what’s planned in downtown Biloxi
Work is under way to transform the Barq building on Howard Avenue into a mixed use development and four new projects are proposed nearby — in and around downtown Biloxi.
One of the new projects considered by the Biloxi Development Review Committee Wednesday is the construction of Caillavet Cottages, immediately south of Quality Seafood on the east side Caillavet Street.
The single family residences would be within walking distance of MGM Park for baseball games, the casinos, restaurants and shops in downtown.
About 20 years ago, the city bought 98 parcels of land along the corridor that connects the Beau Rivage and IP casinos. The street was widened in preparation for commercial development.
That development didn’t follow, and with much of the land still undeveloped, the city began offering the properties for lease or for sale at reduced prices.
Edward Wikoff, who presented the project to DRC for Machado Patano engineering firm, said the land will be subdivided into nine lots and shotgun-type single family homes will be built in phases.
Other developers are working to bring new homes and vacation rentals to downtown Biloxi. The former Josette’s costume shop is being transformed into new apartments coming soon and the former Wells Fargo building nearby will become vacation rentals.
Other projects in and near downtown that went to DRC are:
▪ Torch Sports Lounge & Grill is proposed to be built at 294 Main Street, on an open lot south of the former Inez Cafe. Tracy Smith said it will be a bar and grill serving fresh food and will become a nightclub on weekends. Because of the nightclub component and the distance to John Henry Beck Park, the project must go to the planning commission and city council for conditional use, said Ed Shambra, city planner.
But the building won’t have to be set back 20 feet from the street as required by the city ordinance.
“He’s allowed to line up with the other buildings on that street,” said Jerry Creel, Biloxi community development director.
The property is on a higher piece of land than much of East Biloxi. “It would be the first on-the-ground commercial construction in Ward 2 since the Kroc Center,” Smith said.
▪ Altered Reality Brewing at 969 Howard Ave. and Baltar Lane, just west of the I-110 overpass, would be in an existing building.
Michael Massey said they would open with a one-barrel system and use a food truck initially. Seating would be inside the 2,500 square foot building that has a roll-up door so people could wander between there and the tables set up outside, he said. He envisions a place that would be both dog and family friendly, with outdoor games for kids.
▪ La Nortena Grocery & Restaurant would move to 169 Porter Ave., in the south side of the shopping center that houses Food Giant grocery store. It currently operates at 224 Porter Ave.
Rosalinda Sandate said the new operation will be similar to the current location, with a Mexican restaurant and the majority of the building space devoted to groceries.
Among the other projects DRC reviewed were were a practice field with band director’s tower and a new soccer field house and open pavilion, on opposite sides of the Biloxi High School stadium.
Much of the new development in Biloxi is concentrated in the downtown, where Ground Zero blues club and restaurant opened in February on Howard Avenue and the historic Saenger Theatre is being restored.
Biloxi Council this week approved a revised completion date of June 8 for exterior repairs at Saenger Theatre.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
