Will this waterfront Long Beach restaurant become part of a new casino? Here’s the plan.
Any new casino in Mississippi must have an amenity to grow the market and the developers of a casino in Long Beach are starting with that attraction.
In a Facebook post, the management of Parrish’s Restaurant at the Long Beach Harbor announced the restaurant will close at the end of dinner Jan. 22 and reopen later this spring.
“As you are aware we are in the preliminary phases of development of Southern Sand Casino, which encompasses Parrish’s Restaurant,” management said.
“In conjuncture with our partners and operators we have made the decision to change the direction of our present Parrish’s format to accommodate an amenity, which is required by The Mississippi Gaming Commission,” the notice says.
The restaurant closure is temporary while changes are made to the site south of U.S. 90.
“We are estimating that we will be reopening in the spring of this year under the new format,” management said, “with no specific date at this time.”
Southern Sand Casino plans
The casino site on the old Kmart site north of U.S. 90 at Jeff Davis Avenue in Long Beach got approval from the Gaming Commission in early 2019.
“The next step would be application for development of that site,” said Jay McDaniel, executive director of the Gaming Commission. This would include details about financing, a timetable for development and the plans for the casino and the special amenity.
“We, as of yet do not, have an application for a project,” McDaniel said Tuesday.
Developer James Parrish hasn’t brought any plans for an amenity to the Gaming Commission to make sure it will satisfy the requirement, he said.
Typically developers ask first before spending the money, McDaniel said.
What’s required
Every new casino in South Mississippi must meet minimum requirements:
- 300 hotel rooms with a three-diamond or higher rating
- 40,000-square-foot casino floor
- Two restaurants, including a fine-dining restaurant
- A unique non-gambling amenity designed to grow the casino market.
Plans for the casino announced during the site approval process call for most of the resort north of U.S. 90 and east of Jeff Davis Avenue, with the casino closest to the highway and within 800 feet of the mean high water line.
Renderings show a seven-story tower that meets the city’s height restrictions.
Scarlet Pearl Casino in D’Iberville is the only casino built in South Mississippi since those requirements were enacted to add more visitors and not just more slot machines to the Coast market. It opened in 2015 at a cost of $290 million and since then a parking garage was built and millions of dollars in upgrades were completed.
This story was originally published January 17, 2023 at 12:43 PM.
