A big chunk of $38M in new BP money will transform downtown living in MS Coast cities
Cities across South Mississippi will share nearly $38 million from the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund to pay for schools, harbors, downtown revitalization and more parking.
The Mississippi Legislature approved the projects for Fiscal Year 2023 before adjourning this year’s session. The legislation also reallocated more than $100 million or projects that were approved in the first two rounds of BP funding, but are not yet started or completed.
Mississippi gets about $36 million a year for the GCRF to pay for economic damages from the BP oil spill in 2010. Here is the list of the new projects funded:
$8 million — Gulfport Redevelopment Commission for the completion of second and final phase of a mixed-use, downtown redevelopment project, including public use components and apartments, so as to leverage public and private investment.
$3.5 million — Mississippi Export Railroad for Mississippi Export projects
$3.1 million — Pascagoula Redevelopment Authority for Pascagoula Rail Line development plan
$.3 million — University of Southern Mississippi for Ocean Enterprise Phase I
$3 million — Biloxi for Popp’s Ferry Extension project
$3 million — Pass Christian for Water Front Redevelopment Plan
$2 million — Greater Biloxi Economic Development Foundation and JDLE LLC for downtown redevelopment of Barq’s and Kress buildings on Howard Avenue
$2 million — Waveland Marina Phase I
$2 million — Ocean Springs Redevelopment Authority for Ocean Springs projects
$2 million — Moss Point for Magnificent Mile
$2 million — Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission for Technology Park at Stennis Airport Phase I
$1.6 million — Pearl River County Industrial Park Project
$1 million — Long Beach Harbor Complex restoration
$1 million — Bay St. Louis for Public Safety Complex
$1 million — Mississippi State University Research and Technology Corp. for continued development of Mississippi Cyber Center Project
$900,000 — Diamondhead for Commerce District Transportation
$796,000 — Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Foundation for Rapiscan Systems Classic Tournament
$600,000 — Stone County for Heritage Spring Water Project
$400,000 — Ocean Springs Collective projects
Coast downtown projects funded
Most of the projects that were funded also were the ones that scored highest for the GCRF Advisory Board, which reviews and recommends projects to Mississippi Development Authority and the legislators.
Downtown development was the big winner this year, with a new Gulfport Town Center in Gulfport, The District in Biloxi, a mixed use development in Ocean Springs and projects in Pascagoula, Bay St. Louis, Diamondhead and other Coast cities getting funding, some for a second year.
“I’m very proud of what Pascagoula has done with that money,” said Sen. Scott DeLano, R-Biloxi. “They leveraged Gulf Coast Restoration Funds to get a tremendous amount of investment in downtown Pascagoula and it’s made a tremendous difference.”
The developers of Gulfport Town Center partnered with Gulfport Redevelopment Authority to provide a third party to receive the funds, he said, and to make sure the parking garage that will be built with this money will be available to the public.
They did such a good job with this system of checks and balances, DeLano said, the Coast delegation of legislators went to Biloxi and asked that they do the same system of third-party plan for the restoration of the Barq and Kress building.
