Bowling alley, extended stay hotel proposed in Biloxi
BILOXI -- The inflatable water slides at Big Play Family Fun Park will move south of U.S. 90 next summer to make way for a new bowling alley at U.S. 90 and Veterans Avenue.
"We hope to be turning dirt right after the New Year and opening by Memorial Day," Brandon Wooldridge, project coordinator with RW Development, said Wednesday after he presented the plans for this and three other projects to the city's Development Review Committee.
The 26,000-square-foot, 12-lane bowling alley will be called Big Play USA. He said it will have all the amenities -- high-tech audio and visual equipment, a cafe, an arcade with about 75 games and 3,000 square feet of meeting space.
Local builder Terry Moran asked the city to help expedite approval so the attraction can be ready for tourist season.
To make room for bowling, the seasonal water slides will move south and east to where RW Development operates a snowball stand on U.S. 90.
"It's Memorial Day to Labor Day," Wooldridge said of the water park. He anticipates adding a few slides, installing an enclosure so kids can't wander off and bringing in a restroom trailer similar to the one at Biloxi's Waterfront Park. He will provide the city with a plan to remove the water park if a hurricane approaches.
Wooldridge also brought plans to expand the pool deck at South Beach on U.S. 90 and add snacks in the area between the hotel and Sharkheads souvenir shop.
At 288 Veterans Avenue south of Pass Road, RW Development proposes building a 100-room Mainstay Suites extended-stay hotel. Wooldridge said it would be near the beach, Keesler Air Force Base and the VA Hospital.
The DRC also heard about Rick Ly's plans to move the lot line behind the Holiday Inn at 1686 Beach Blvd. and possibly build and extended-stay hotel.
DRC chairman Eric Nolan said the members are seeing more optimism among developers because several hotels are under construction or proposed.
This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Bowling alley, extended stay hotel proposed in Biloxi ."