Biloxi approves construction of 16 waterfront homes near Restaurant Row. What to know
A 16-lot “vacation village” of homes on the south side of Beach Boulevard got approval Tuesday from the Biloxi Council, but not plans for an RV park next to Edgewater Village.
The proposed homesites on the beach at 1845 and 1851 Beach Boulevard are just west of the Shell gas station on the South side of U.S. 90 at Veterans Avenue.
The property is directly south of Big Play Family Fun Park and connected by a boardwalk that extends from near Treasure Bay Casino past Restaurant Row.
Rob Stinson, who owns The Reef on Restaurant Row, is one of the developers of the project, said Councilman Kenny Glavan.
The property has been vacant since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“It’s just exciting to see that waterfront property come alive,” Glavan said.
The Biloxi Planning Commission and the City Council unanimously approved the change in zoning to allow the development.
First homes right on the beach
Freddie Fountain with Fountain & Associates in Gulfport presented plans for Beach Side Subdivision to the planning commission on behalf of owners Maenza Property Management and Jolene Weill. The developer is Camdav, a company in Gulfport that Fountain said has done similar projects.
It will be a Florida-style beach development, Fountain said, with about nine beach lots and seven more in the interior.
Fountain said he doesn’t think there is one single residential building on the sand in Biloxi or along the Coast since Katrina.
“All of the lots and homes will be constructed facing the south to have that beach environment,” he said.
A minimum of about 3,000 square feet will be required, he said, and the homes must be built on poured concrete or cement block pilings and with a metal roof.
Fountain said they will have four parking spaces under each house and two guest parking spaces.
Councilman George Lawrence asked how homeowners will get insurance if each property is sold individually.
“That’s a problem that they will have to address,” said, Jerry Creel, Biloxi community development director. He said insurance certainly will be part of the financing approval for the developer.
Councilman Nathan Barrett asked if Biloxi has other areas south of U.S. 90 that are buildable.
“We expect to have development right next to this,” Creel said.
Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, several condo buildings were proposed along the beach from Veterans Avenue east toward Rodenberg Avenue, but they were never built.
Why homes?
The beach is an attractive place to live, with sunset views and in walking distance to the casino, attractions, shopping and restaurants.
Yet this site hasn’t been easy to market, said Doug Molyneaux, a Biloxi real estate broker who said he has represented Weill since Cuco’s of Biloxi restaurant was on that property about 16 years ago.
He said they looked at hotel development and the kind of construction necessary on the beach compared that to the amount of revenue generated per room.
“There is no way the costs make any sense for any kind of hotel development on the beach right now,” he said. “Just can’t do it. It’s just not feasible,” he said.
Constructed just north of the seawall, the homes will be expensive to build and reinforce against hurricane winds and surge.
Other land uses explored
Fountain said other uses for the land were explored.
“We’re looked at restaurants. Your national chain restaurants, most of them have a prototype, but the prototypes don’t allow them to be built up like that,” he said.
“So the best we might be able to do is probably a local restaurant, and all those local restaurants are already there than can afford the beach.”
Fountain said they also considered building condominiums.
“We’ve looked at everything,” he said. “I just want to say that I think this is a great use for the property.”
Brian Bolis with NAI Sawyer real estate agency in Gulfport, said he represents the owner of the two acres adjacent to the Weill property and has had the same issues. He said this type of single home development has been very successful in Gulf Shores and along the Florida Panhandle.
The RV park was voted down by the planning commission after the neighbors complained about that type of development, said Creel. The council also voted against the project, and the owner already is working on another proposal for the land on the site of the old Breakers at 2506 Beach Blvd., he said.
This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 1:41 PM.
