MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST | (Biloxi, Gulfport, and other MS Coastal Cities)

[Red UM Rebel]

Project Rundown - Continuously Updated!

Condos

Condos - Biloxi


South Beach - Completed (First Tower) - Biloxi

Veterans and Beach Blvd
326 Units (Over 1000 once entire complex is finished)
$800,000,000 (for the entire complex)
RW Development
Roy Anderson Construction
http://www.southbeachbiloxi.com

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Beau View Condos - First Tower Completed (Other Three Pre-Construction) - Biloxi

2668 Beach Blvd
448 Units
273'
$22,123,044
Beau View Condos of Biloxi, LLC
http://www.beauviewcondos.com

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/217/525588096_0bcec8750d.jpg?v=0
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1057/743905041_ba103492d6.jpg



Ocean Club Biloxi - First Tower Completed (Other Two Pre-Construction) - Biloxi

2060 Beach Blvd
375 Units
175'
$95,000,000 (For all 3 Towers)
Ocean Club of Biloxi, LLC
Roy Anderson Construction
http://www.oceanclubatbiloxi.com

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1105/525594280_e98b3a6d67.jpg?v=0



Casinos

Can Can Casino - Pre-Construction - D'Iberville

250 hotel room
60,000 sq. feet of casino space
CanCan Development, LLC
Yates Construction chosen

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Oyster Bay Casino - Pre-Construction - D'Iberville

French Quarter Theme
65,000 sq. feet of casino space
Seafood Heritage Museum
$150,000,000

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3394/4617378545_b0580f91c8_o.jpg



Palace Casino Resort Expansion - Construction - Biloxi

Trying to regain space lost by Hurricane Katrina
38,000 sq. feet of casino space
110,000 sq. feet of total space
New restaurants
$45,000,000

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Other



William Carey College Campus at Traditions - Under Construction - Harrison County

50 acres
3000 students
2009 completion

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Completed Since 2004


Sea Breeze Biloxi - Tower 1 Completed - Biloxi

1899 Beach Blvd
101 Units
222'
Roy Anderson Construction
$21,865,000

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Beau View Condos - First Tower Completed - Biloxi

http://www.beauviewcondos.com

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Ocean Club Biloxi - First Tower Completed - Biloxi

http://www.oceanclubatbiloxi.com

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Hard Rock Casino - Completed and Open - Biloxi

777 Beach Blvd
318 Rooms
50,000 sqaure feet of casino space
Premier Entertainment, LLC
Roy Anderson Construction
http://www.hardrockbiloxi.com

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Sienna - Completed - Gulfport

http://www.siennaonthecoast.com/index.htm

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Legacy Towers (2 Towers) - Completed - Gulfport

http://www.legacycondo.com/index.htm

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Biloxi/Ocean Springs Bridge - Completed

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Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum - Biloxi - Completed

Yates Construction
386,000 feet of convention space
Opening Spring 2009
http://www.mscoastcoliseum.com

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Postponed or Canceled


Beau Soliel - Pre-Construction - Biloxi (Permit Lapsed)

1877 Beach Blvd
14 Units
95'
$12,000,000
Gulf Coast Investment Developers
http://www.gcid.biz

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1137/530045583_657e19fb07.jpg?v=0



Venezia Resort - Pre-Construction - Biloxi (Permit Lapsed)

1762 Beach Blvd
339 Units
90'
Venezia Resort Group, LLC
http://www.veneziabiloxi.com/home-biloxi-resort.asp

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The Revelay - Pre-Constuction - Biloxi (Permit Lapsed)

2400 Beach Blvd
380 Units
185'
Gulf Coast Investment Developers & Sterling Resorts
Yates Construction
http://www.revelay.com

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2039/2051259971_32b92065f1_o.jpg
(Scaled down picture with groundbreaking soon)


Viuex Crescente - Pre-Construction - Biloxi (Back Bay) (Permit Lapse)

Back Bay Blvd & Oak Street
286 Units (Phase I - Right Tower)
365'
Casino being designed into project
Sandmark Bay, LLC
Dale and Associates Architects
http://www.vuecrescente.com

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Bienville Condos - Postponed - Biloxi

1865 Beach Blvd
117 Units
110'
$28,000,000
Gulf Coast Investment Developers
Carother's Construction
http://www.bienvillecondos.com

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Towers at Edgewater - Canceled - Biloxi (Design change underway due to Height Restriction by City)

2660 Beach Blvd
500 Units
374'
$87,000,000
Gulf Coast Investment Developers

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Habor Point Condos - Canceled - Biloxi - NOW WYNDHAM HOTEL PROJECT

695 Beach Blvd
242 Units
278'

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Shores of Paradise - Canceled - Biloxi

2010 Beach Blvd
476 Units
179'
Gulf Coast Investment Developers
http://www.shoresofparadise.com

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Savannah Estates - Cancelled - Biloxi

Brasher Road
145 Units
110'
$30,000,000
Gulf Coast Investment Developers
http://www.savannahsbiloxi.com

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Sterling Beach - Cancelled - Biloxi

1775 Beach Blvd
87 Units
100'
$20,000,000
Gulf Coast Investment Developers & Sterling Resorts
http://www.gcid.biz

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Aqua - Cancelled - Biloxi
http://www.gcid.biz
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Gold Coast - On-Hold - Biloxi

Veterans Avenue
Part of $800,000,000 Development
RW Development

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Avalon Condo Development (Conversion from Gulf Towers) (Cancelled - Converted into Four Points by Sheraton Opening July 15, 2010)

Beach Blvd Across I-110 from Beau Rivage
11 Stories
About 200 Units
Wilton Partners
http://avalonbiloxi.com/home.asp

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Wyndham Harbour Pointe Resort - On-Hold - Biloxi

Biloxi Small Craft Harbor
24 Stories
400 Rooms
$90,000,000
Wyndham Resort Group

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Old VA being redeveloped into Resort - On-Hold - Gulfport

HRI Properties of New Orleans

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Caribbean Dream - On-Hold - Gulfport
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Emerald Breeze - Cancelled - Long Beach

64 Units
$14,000,000
Emerald Breeze Developer, LLC
http://www.emeraldbreezeoflongbeach.com/index.html

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Gulf View - Cancelled - Long Beach
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Havana Casino - Project Dead (Regrettably) - Biloxi
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Bacarn Bay - Project being reconfigured - Biloxi

377 Caillavet Street
1122 Units (663 Condos, 459 Suites)
247'
67,000 square feet of casino space
80,000 square feet of convention space
$600,000,000
Torguson Gaming
Roy Anderson Construction
Dale Morris Architects PLLC
http://www.bacaranbay.com

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Gold Coast Casino - Project not approved by Gaming Commission

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Bayview Casino Resort - Looking for Financing/On-Hold - Biloxi

Back Bay Blvd.
519 hotel rooms
70,000 square feet of casino space
25,000 square feet of convention space
$325,000,000
Dale/Morris Architecture

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2349/2412416596_b601f521e7_o.jpg


Margaritaville Casino - Harrah's Financial Problems/On-Hold - Biloxi

279 Beach Blvd
798 Rooms
100,000 square feet of casino space
66,000 square feet of convention space
250,000 square feet of shopping space
$700,000,000
Harrah's

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Very rough sketch (Perspective: driving west on Highway 90)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1179/698699262_e42664a2dd_o.jpg

Construction Cam Link
http://oxblue.com/pro/open/?webPath=harrahs/biloxi

[thebestdillweed]

im happy to see that the Mississippi coast has its own thread now, its amazing how much new constructions going on their.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Wow, good idea for a thread. Nice to see all this construction going on there!

[ontheroad]

Very colonial architecture, gotta love the Havanna Casino! Not seras tower or the burj but really clever!

[Red UM Rebel]

Plan aims to stymie gridlock growth
By RYAN LaFONTAINE
rlafontaine@sunherald.com


GULFPORT --Anyone who's ever been behind someone making a left turn on Pass Road knows the value of a good set of brakes. If your afternoon commute runs along U.S. 49 near Interstate 10, you might as well walk.

Throw in a few fellow drivers with a death wish, plus escalating gas prices and a swelling population, and suddenly the future of daily commutes in South Mississippi seems horrifying.

Profound traffic congestion, once a problem limited to major cities such as New York and Los Angeles, is rapidly becoming a serious issue in much smaller communities across the country.

On Thursday, the Metropolitan Planning Organization approved the Coast Transit Authority's long-range development plan designed to relieve future gridlock with public transit, including an electric streetcar line along the beach and a bus-rapid transit system from Pascagoula to Bay St. Louis by 2030.

In a 2005 pre-storm study, the Gulf Regional Planning Commission reckoned an average of 70,000 drivers a day used U.S. 49 and about 27,000 traveled Pass Road. Recent population estimates show those numbers growing significantly in the future.

That same year, some of the nation's most celebrated urban planners met at a summit in Biloxi to dream up ideas for rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. During the brainstorming sessions, a transportation committee suggested a light-rail system or other forms of mass transit to help ease future traffic flow and connect the three Coast counties.

The dream of a Coast connected by an impeccable public transit system appeared to meet its demise when Congress sliced a chunk of federal funding from an emergency-spending bill in June 2006.

In an effort to keep the transportation plans from being shelved next to several other charrette-born ideas, the Gulf Regional Planning Commission expanded its research of population and traffic trends and CTA studied several types of mass transit, including a light-rail line.

Dozens of U.S. cities have turned to light-rail and bus-rapid transit systems to help relieve traffic strains, but will such systems work here and can South Mississippi support them?

[MasonsInquiries]

i'm glad to see that you guys are recovering from katrina so well down there. i think that mississippi's gulf coast where teh casinos are is going to eventually overtake atlantic city, in due time of course.:D

[Red UM Rebel]

By PRISCILLA FRULLA
pfrulla@sunherald.com

Units at Avalon are for sale. Developers are launching a marketing campaign for the 10-story tower on U.S. 90 near I-110 today.

The building at 940 Beach Blvd. in Biloxi, formerly known as Gulf Towers, has been completely gutted since receiving severe damage from Hurricane Katrina. Strategic Capital Partners of Chicago and Wilton Partners of Los Angeles purchased the property in 2006 and are beginning a complete renovation. The total project cost is estimated at $37 million.

The tower will have 198 condotel units, a rooftop restaurant, an infinity-edge pool and lobby and rooftop lounges. Plasma televisions, granite workstations and mahogany furnishings are among the unit amenities.
Laurie Smith of SCP said Avalon's location, diagonally across from Beau Rivage and Hard Rock casinos, is one of its most important features.

The units will range in square footage from 430 to 800 and sell for $199,000 to $500,000, said Smith. The project is scheduled to be completed by fall 2008.

Crescent Management Co., Washington, D.C., will have an on-site office to rent out units. Construction will be done by Rawlins Co. of Houston.

Biloxi-based GCID helped broker the deal and the company's real estate division is listing the units.
________________________________________
Avalon file
Address: 940 Beach Blvd., Biloxi.
Units: 198.
Unit square footage: 430 to 800.
Unit prices: $199,000 to $500,000.
Details: TheAvalonBiloxi.com or 888-806-9604.

[Red UM Rebel]

Emeril's Fish House opens June 22
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

GULFPORT --Chef Emeril Lagasse will put some bam! in the Coast recovery on June 22 with the public opening of Emeril's Gulf Coast Fish House at Island View Casino and Resort.

This is one of the first restaurants to open on the beach in Gulfport since Hurricane Katrina. Initially the Gulf Coast Fish House will serve dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m. Lunch will be served in the near future.

Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 314-1515.

Island View owner Rick Carter said Emeril's will have outside dining "with the best views on the entire Gulf Coast," and chef de cuisine Steve D'Angelo describes the restaurant as casual and trendy.

Emeril said he at first didn't want to open a restaurant on the Mississippi Coast. "I want to relax here," he said. His wife, Alden, is a native of Gulfport and Emeril said among his staff, "We all have a lot of roots here in Mississippi." He said he plans to take advantage of the location and feature fresh regional seafood.

A VIP grand opening reception for the restaurant on June 20 will benefit The Lynn Meadows Discovery Center in Gulfport. Emeril and Alden Lagasse are co-chairs of a national campaign to raise $2 million to create a performing arts center at the museum.

[Red UM Rebel]

Destin company signs on with Sienna on the Coast

Sterling Resorts has signed a multi-year contract to handle rental property and manage the homeowners' association for Sienna on the Coast. The 82-unit building is scheduled to open next month on U.S. 90 in Gulfport.

Sterling Resorts is a Destin-based vacation-rental management firm.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1184/525714737_05b2ff6b46_o.jpg

~The Sun Herald

[thebestdillweed]

does anybody know if they started rebuilding that museum for Ohr again?

[Red UM Rebel]

does anybody know if they started rebuilding that museum for Ohr again?

Right now the group is trying to raise more money to rebuild the museum. Other than the loss of life due to the Hurricane, this is one of the largest tragedies.

For those who read this and are not sure what you are talking about. Five years ago the Ohr Museum started and ambitiously rose however many million to build a five or six building complex all designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. Most of the frames for all of the buildings were complete before the hurricane. During the hurricane, the Grand Casino barge was ripped from its moorings and actually was washed on top of and destroyed most buildings in the complex. Although the museum had construction insurance (Federal Emergency Mismanagement Association Issurance though :( ), cost for construction has gone up 72% on the Coast, so they are having to redouble the efforts to raise money. They city recently renovated and gave the Museum a historical home owned by the city as a temporary location. (Glenn L. Swetman House)

They hope to start construction on the property next fall. Another complication is that the city is deciding where to rebuild the Seafood Industry Museum, either on the Ohr property, next to the Ohr property, or at its original home on the Point (PRIME casino location)


For more info http://www.georgeohr.org/

Design
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Current
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[Red UM Rebel]

Competitors racing toward finish line
By PRISCILLA FRULLA
SUN HERALD

BILOXI --Bienville’s developers billed their project as the first new condominiums to break ground in Biloxi after Hurricane Katrina, but South Beach’s builders, RW Development, beat them to the punch.

The two development sites are about half a mile apart on the sand beach on the south side of U.S. 90. Between the Bienville site just west of Veterans Avenue and the South Beach site near Travia Avenue are other RW properties slated for development and the proposed site for Seaside condominiums.

Work on South Beach began almost 60 days ago with little notice, perhaps because the developers did not start unit pre-sales prior to construction like dozens of condo builders.

“We have not released any units for sale,” said RW vice president Granville Smith. “We took an alternative strategy. We are building it, and we will sell it when we can show the buyer the project is fully under way.”

Many developers have to get hard contracts on 50 to 75 percent of their units to get the financing to build condos.

“If we waited to make a sales milestone then it could potentially delay the start of the project, and we didn’t want to do that,” said Smith. “We are able to do this because of our willingness to make a speculative commitment. We are willing to take that risk because of our confidence in the vision of Biloxi as a resort gaming destination.”

RW has bought more than 50 acres along Veterans Avenue and U.S. 90 and plans more than $800 million in total construction. The construction in progress on the south side of U.S. 90 is the first phase of South Beach. Additional phases will be built on the north side.

Construction crews have finished driving piles into the bedrock which will support the foundation of South Beach and are beginning the vertical construction phase, which is much more visible to passers-by. South Beach will be move-in ready by late summer of 2008, said Smith.

Public relations officials representing Atlanta-based developers Curt Patton and Cortland Partners announced last month that Bienville would be the first new condominium development to start construction since Hurricane Katrina, with a ground breaking in July and completion by December 2008. But representatives were not aware of the lower-profile building going on at neighboring South Beach.

Colin Edelstein of Cortland Partners said being first was not the most important thing about his $63 million project at the site formerly occupied by Emerald Quality Inn.

“Bienville’s most distinguishing feature is it’s on the beach. Every single one of our units will have a panoramic Gulf view,” said Edelstein.

Several more condo-related announcements are expected this summer.

Ocean Club, which began construction prior to the storm, is only days away from completion, said Biloxi’s director of community development Jerry Creel.

The next condo project to reach completion is expected to be Beau View in the next two to three months, he said.

The next ground breaking after Bienville and South Beach is expected to be Bacaran Bay in the late summer or early fall, said Creel, after all the permits are issued.

[Red UM Rebel]

~Sun Herald

By JOSHUA NORMAN
jdnorman@sunherald.com

BILOXI --The Biloxi City Council voted 4-2 Tuesday afternoon in favor of rezoning 23 acres of Boomtown Casino's property on the southwestern corner of Main Street and Bayview Avenue to allow for gambling, among other things.


The second presentation in two weeks to the City Council by Boomtown attorney Michael Cavanaugh highlighted an added 150-by-400-foot park with a playground for kids that will be leased back to the city for a nominal fee.

Councilman George Lawrence, who voted against this rezoning along with Councilman David Fayard, said that when the council asked the Boomtown representatives to come back to present plans for the site, he expected more than what they presented.

Their presentation did not make sense, Lawrence said, because the zoning there already allowed for what they showed plans.

"They came back with another parking lot," said Lawrence, adding that he was skeptical that their long-term plans involved leaving the property a parking lot. Lawrence said that if Boomtown plans on eventually building a casino or hotel on the site, which the zoning change now allows, he wants to see plans.

Another large development was approved by the council earlier 6-0 to rezone property along Veterans Avenue to allow RW Development to begin the first phase of a massive redevelopment.

The council approved zoning changes to allow a large mixed-use complex on 18.94 acres on the northwest intersection of Veterans and the CSX tracks with 110,000 square feet of retail space and nearly 1,200 multi-family housing units

<<RW Development is South Beach ^ Above >>

[Red UM Rebel]

Coastal gem in an Island View setting
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

Chef Emeril Lagasse gives a tour of his new restaurant Gulf Coast Fish House inside the Island View Casino Tuesday afternoon.
Emeril's preview (June 20)

Emeril's empire

GULFPORT --Emeril Lagasse is as kicked up about his tenth restaurant as he was about his first, and as he gave the Sun Herald a sneak peek of the new Emeril's Gulf Coast Fish House on Tuesday he revealed he'd just bought the space he's leased for 17 years for his first restaurant, Emeril's in New Orleans.

"This is pretty exciting," he said as dozens of chefs and waitstaff cooked and set tables. Emeril cookbooks and T-shirts were shelved and casino guests poked their heads around the black curtains for a look at Emeril's Gulfport creation.

They couldn't see much beyond the walls that curve around the bar and dining rooms, except the thousands of hand-cut crystal bubbles that float from the ceiling. "I can't wait for you to see it at night," Lagassesaid.

The curtain that separates the restaurant from the casino floor will open on cue this evening. About 400 invited guests were expected to attend the celebration but more than twice that number returned their RSVPs and sent a contribution to the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center. The restaurant opens to the public Friday.

"For me it's more than just opening another restaurant," said Lagasse. His wife, Alden, grew up in Gulfport and many of the staff members are from the Coast. Chef de cuisine Steve D'Angelo, general manager Jason Lonigro and their staff of 90 "are here for the long haul," which includes buying fresh fish and produce from local fish boats and farmers.

Although it's his tenth opening, Lagasse is concerned about meeting expectations. He's brought chefs and managers from New Orleans and his other restaurants to train the staff and make a good first impression.

Guests will be impressed with both the décor and cuisine. Earthtones are mixed with sea colors and art Alden chose to reflect the beach location. A 4,000-bottle wine tower separates dining rooms from the entrance and curved banquettes look out on the open kitchen, the beach or the landscaping that will one day be the hotel's pool and spa. Those who choose can relax on the wraparound porch with a breeze, a drink, a selection from the bar menu and "probably the best view on the Coast."

The views inside are remarkable, too. A food bar is open to the kitchen with four rows of tables behind it. The tables with inlaid colored glass were considered too beautiful to cover, said Lagasse, a self-described white tablecloth kind of guy.

Like the décor, the menu is a mix of earth and sea. He calls his cuisine coastal Creole and his kitchen a state-of-the-art laboratory. "Everything is from scratch," right down to the Worcestershire sauce, he said.

Even a day before the grand opening the menu was still being tweaked. "We made some changes, all good," said Lagasse, who put Portuguese shrimp and pasta on the menu for his mom, Hilda, and Southern dishes like shrimp and grits and andouille sausage-crusted Texas redfish. Side dishes also have Southern flair. Trademark appetizers and desserts such as Emeril's New Orleans-style barbecued shrimp and famous banana cream pie join new selections such as baked Gulf oysters and jumbo lump crabcakes with corn maque choux.

He brings more than a new restaurant to the Coast's recovery; Lagasse has created excitement in the community and enthusiasm among his young staff. "They're so happy and proud to be a part of this whole thing."

[Red UM Rebel]

Closing 7 months for makeover
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com
~Sun Herald

BILOXI --The doors will temporarily close at the Coast Coliseum Convention Center after this weekend, bringing the area one step closer to becoming a Tier One tourism destination.

Executive Director Bill Holmes said the board plans to have the Convention Center completely renovated and back open for business by mid-January. A 200,000-square-foot expansion should be complete in late spring 2009.

"Only the Convention Center will close," Holmes said. Concerts, sports and shows will continue, with remodeling of the arena taking place between events.

One of the components necessary to raise the Coast to a Tier One destination is 600,000 square feet of convention space. Holmes said the expansion should bring the area close to that mark, with a total of 385,000 at the Coliseum Convention Center alone. The present exhibit area at the Convention Center will become a ballroom. The expansion will be larger than the current building and will be primarily exhibit space.

Bids were opened last week and Yates Construction was low bidder for the $65 million project. Crews will simultaneously work on remodeling and construction.

After 5 feet of water flooded the Convention Center during Hurricane Katrina, the building was renovated quickly to house FEMA offices. Now it will be completely remodeled with new wallpaper, flooring and lighting in a nautical theme.

Holmes said the Convention Center has to be transformed and back open in time for Carnival season and meetings and other events that mean big business to the Coast. Reservations are already being taken, he said.

The Convention Center has held more than 60 events since January, the largest a convention of 6,000 hairdressers. "This is the last one," Holmes said of the Mississippi Municipal League, which has held its conference at the Coliseum for more than 30 years.

Because there is such demand to come to the Coast, Holmes said, "We're planning and budgeting for another expansion in five to six years."

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[Red UM Rebel]

Hard Rock lights guitar, will open Saturday
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com



BILOXI --The huge Hard Rock Casino guitar that survived Hurricane Katrina was officially lighted Thursday morning and Joe Billhimer, president of the Hard Rock Biloxi, told employees and the media, "Get ready."

"You can feel the energy in here," said Sue Reynolds of Ocean Springs, who was enjoying a sneak peek of Hard Rock Cafe where her daughter, Elaine Murphree, is a bartender. "I had to be the first," Reynolds said as she and Ann Mead of Ocean Springs and Jean Rouse of Gulfport ordered lunch and shopped, helping employees become familiar with their new jobs.

"We've always wanted to open as soon as we possibly could," said Billhimer, who helped restore the $235 million hotel and casino that was heavily damaged by Katrina days before it was set to open. Finishing touches and training will continue right up to opening Saturday at 10 a.m.

Hard Rock Casino looks and sounds distinctive on the outside, with purple windows against white walls and that huge guitar spewing music. Inside, everything from the decor to the enthusiasm of the staff shouts entertainment. A two-story memorabilia tower greets guests just inside the front door and the collection extends to every corner of the resort.

Elvis' uniform, fished out of the Gulf after the storm; a wedding gown worn by Madonna; Elton John's flowing feathered coat; John Lennon's purple jacket; and signed guitars, photographs, art and gold records hang everywhere. A special display shows items returned after the hurricane, including Eddie Van Halen's sneakers, guitars from Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons of Kiss, an Eagles' golden record and a 3 Doors Down tribute.

"Hard Rock is about the music, for sure," said Karl Bulot, senior vice president of non-gaming operations. Almost $3 million in color-changing lights and $5 million in audio and visual equipment surround guests with sight and sound, from the casino floor to the Hard Rock Live venue.

In the Hard Rock Cafe, the menu is the same as in the more than 120 other locations, featuring hamburgers, a rack of smokehouse ribs and crabcakes until 2 a.m. General Manager Tony Poole said, "What makes us different is what we have on the wall," so visitors are encouraged to wander and admire the memorabilia.

For the first opening, Hard Rock began to partner with quality companies that would add to the resort. "We're gaming and entertainment experts," he said of Hard Rock. "Ruth's Chris, a big staple in New Orleans, was a natural for us." Starbucks Coffee and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream are part of the resort.

Another partner, Rise Lounge on the top floor of Hard Rock, will open Thursday and owner Rande Gerber and his wife, model Cindy Crawford, plan to be there to welcome some of the first guests. "They're the best in the world," Billhimer said of the Gerber Group, which has some of the swankiest restaurants and bars worldwide.

Dorothy Viera, front office manager, said Hard Rock has 26 suites with incredible water and city views and 292 rooms, all with Aveda products, plasma televisions and "sleep-like-a-rock beds."

The resort also has Rock Spa, Satisfaction Buffet and Rock Shops where guests can get their Hard Rock Biloxi T-shirts.

:cheers: :tup: :cheers:

[Red UM Rebel]

Casinos bounce back after Katrina
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

AMANDA McCOY/SUN HERALD

BILOXI --With the Fourth of July, the opening of Hard Rock Casino and the unveiling of an expanded casino at Treasure Bay, there will be plenty of fireworks in Biloxi this week.

City officials are warning traffic will be jammed today, when Hard Rock Casino opens at 10 a.m. The official grand opening runs Thursday through lucky July 7.

Treasure Bay opens the doors to its new casino floor and Infinity Buffet at 5 p.m. Monday. When the remainder of the expansion is complete in September, a grand opening also will celebrate the new infinity pool area, CQ fine dining restaurant, a conference room and 249 hotel rooms and suites.

This week of good news for Biloxi illustrates how the city and casino industry are building back after Hurricane Katrina. Hard Rock was just a couple of days from opening when Katrina destroyed the casino barge, badly damaged the new resort and tossed irreplaceable rock 'n' roll memorabilia into the Mississippi Sound.

The storm surge roared through Treasure Bay's pirate ship and into the hotel across U.S. 90. Legislation permitting onshore gambling allowed the casino to reopen on the first floor of the hotel, but it's only now that many of the employees are returning to their jobs at the casino.

"We're really proud of what we created," said Susan Varnes, chief operating officer of Treasure Bay. "Our whole goal was to create something different than any other casino." They accomplished this by capitalizing on the views. Even the casino floor has a view of the Gulf through floor to ceiling windows in the new front entrance, where colorful chandeliers glow with a thousand pieces of hand-blown glass.

"We had this opportunity to update everything," said Erik Johnson, advertising manager. The more contemporary look complements the stacked stone that was used in the original remodel and extends from the wave walls at the entrance to the casino floor through the entire main level.

Treasure Bay has had only slot machines since the storm. "Now we have table games," said Johnson and an additional 400 slots for more than 800 total.

Across the new stone front entrance to Treasure Bay are five caldrons spurting water. Although they may not be quite ready for Monday's opening, two of them also will shoot flames. Fire, water and stone, the elements of nature, are also a symbol of rebirth under way on the Coast.

Image from Sun Herald ~ Bar at the Hard Rock Cafe
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:upload_71700:

I have already gone today, ate in the cafe, and bought my t-shirt!!!!!

It is absolutely amazing and I hope everyone on SSP gets to visit. THE nicest casino/cafe/hotel in the entire chain. GOOD JOB!!!

[thebestdillweed]

i read Cindy Crawford and her husband will be at the grand opening of his new club on the top floor of the hard rock, that will be really cool having the views of the gulf, i won't get to go until august :( i also read about some info that sounded like construction might start on the Ohr museum this fall after bids went out

[Red UM Rebel]

i also read about some info that sounded like construction might start on the Ohr museum this fall after bids went out



I hope, I haven't heard. I took lots of pictures that I will post on a couple of threads.

Gerber Group (Cindy's Husband) was unhappy with the club this past Thursday and is working to totally redo it by this Saturday (The offical Grand opening). The pools at Hard Rock play music under water too!

[Red UM Rebel]

By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

BILOXI --Margaritaville Casino moved closer to reality Thursday when plans cleared both the Biloxi Architectural Review Commission and Planning Commission.

"This is a good step," said Hal Lamoreaux, Harrah's Central Division project director, after the Planning Commission unanimously accepted the changes.

The amendments to the already approved master plan now go to the City Council before developers can apply for permits and begin construction of the $700 million casino resort on 47 acres. Gary Lechner, who sits on both commissions, said it normally takes about two weeks before the City Council hears the application.

Architectural Review commissioner Mike Hutter asked developers if the streetscape and signs will follow the Margaritaville theme.

"Every one of the Margaritaville restaurants around the world is designed for that location," said senior project manager Mark Waggoner of Marnell Corrao Associates. In Biloxi, "The hotel takes flavor from Key West," with octagonal towers and dormer windows that reflect Jimmy Buffett's memories and his songs. Buffett was born in Pascagoula and grew up on the Coast.

"He wants it to be very carefully designed and detailed," said Waggoner.

Instead of tall buildings, the resort will spread out along the beachfront from the Casino Magic property to the Grand Biloxi. Two pedestrian overpasses will cross U.S. 90 and connect Margaritaville to Harrah's Grand Biloxi.

A variance was required for three marquees that will be placed at both ends and the center porte-cochere. Waggoner said they will be designed similar to properties in Las Vegas, where the signs take on the design flair of the property.

Detailing plans for the resort, Waggoner said Casino Magic will be renovated with 378 guest rooms and a new spa and salon. Grand Biloxi has an additional 494 rooms and Margaritaville will include a 420-room hotel with an outdoor shopping village, casino, meeting and convention space, ballroom and restaurants.

Lamoreaux said the test-pile program is complete at the site and Waggoner said the target opening of Margaritaville is in 2010.

[Red UM Rebel]

Billion-dollar casino proposed
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI --Sometime in August the Biloxi Planning Commission will hear whether residents think the Tivoli Hotel site north of U.S. 90 should be rezoned as "waterfront" so a billion-dollar casino and hotel can be built there.

The City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to direct the Planning Commission to schedule the hearing. Community Development Director Jerry Creel said it will take at least 30 days to complete the case fact sheet and advertise the hearing.

Councilman George Lawrence, the lone vote against asking for the hearing, wants to keep the beach for public use. He said, "I don't think this city should be all about money."

If the seawall is going to become the line for determining where casinos can be built, Lawrence said, "everything on Biloxi Beach could turn into casinos." He also pointed out that the Mississippi Gaming Commission has been fairly stern about allowing no new casino development across the sand beach.

Councilman Mike Fitzpatrick said that when opportunity knocks, the council should find creative solutions. The developer is reportedly Biloxi Capital LLC and Fitzpatrick stressed this is a billion-dollar project. It will have a casino, hotel rooms, marina, restaurants and shops and will bring millions of dollars to the city, county and state each year, he said.

Fitzpatrick said rezoning the site will give the Veterans of Foreign Wars the financial means to rebuild and the Biloxi Yacht Club the opportunity to get a new marina. The casino developers have the option to relocate their marina in front of the new yacht club location adjacent to the Tivoli site.

Council President Ed Gemmill agreed with Lawrence on some points. "I don't want to see that beach taken away from us," he said, but he favors the hearing, "to look at the possibilities."

Wanting to be clear on the intent of the resolution, Councilman Bill Stallworth said, "This is not a declaration saying we will approve it," but a chance to get information from residents.

"I probably won't vote for the project," said Councilman David Fayard, "but I do want the public input."

When Lawrence argued that the council can get public opinion without tying it to this property, Councilman Tom Wall replied, "This hearing is all about the Tivoli property." It has nothing to do with building on the beach, Wall said. The city wants to develop the property he said has been deteriorating for 40 years, "and looking worse and worse all the time," into something that is going to provide tax revenue.

The meeting room was packed and more citizens spoke for authorizing the hearing than against it. One resident who lives behind Tivoli asked that the boundaries be extended all the way to the railroad tracks. Homeowners in the area have the potential to be bought out. The current proposal sets the boundaries on the south by the mean high-water line (the toe of the seawall), north to Howard Avenue, east to Kuhn Street and west to Holley Street.

After the board voted to approve the public hearing, Gemmill said it will take approval beyond the council's authority before a casino could be built across from the sand beach.

Revenue generated

State $35.6 million
Biloxi $13.8 million
Biloxi schools $7.9 million
County $9.4 million

Repay Coliseum debt Nearly $3 million

Tourism advertising $2.4 million



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Supporters claim

Casino proposal would have:

• $1 billion investment

• 175,000 square feet of gaming space

• 2,500 hotel rooms

• 6,500 parking spaces

• 300-boat marina

• 6,500 parking spaces

• restaurants and retail




YAY:cheers:

[Red UM Rebel]

sorry dp

[Red UM Rebel]

350 apartments coming on Veterans Avenue
By PRISCILLA FRULLA
pfrulla@sunherald.com

The north end of Veterans Avenue is getting a $75 million makeover, and that's just the beginning.

RW Development recently began construction on its South Beach Resort on U.S. 90 near Rodenberg and now has City Council approval to begin the next step in its Gold Coast district, a 19-acre mixed-use planned unit development on Veterans Avenue.

About 350 market-rate apartments and 70,000 square feet of retail and office space will be built first on a 6-acre section of the site, said RW Vice President Granville Smith.

"We hope to have the first phase under way before the end of the calendar year," said Smith. "The entire project could be built out within five years."

When complete, the Veterans Avenue development between Pass Road and the railroad tracks may have as many as 1,175 units of market-rate apartment housing along with 110,500 square feet of retail, office and restaurant space and 150 hotel rooms.

Smith said the property south of the tracks on Veterans will be primarily resort oriented. The areas north of the tracks will be primarily residential with supporting businesses such as dry cleaners, banks, coffee shops and cafes.

"We want to have a cohesive flavor," said Smith, who sees a smooth transition between the two areas.

The city plans to widen and improve Veterans Avenue, he said, and the development is designed to encourage pedestrians to use the new sidewalks.

Smith said the retail space will be located on the ground floor facing the street, "creating a continuous promenade." Residential rental units will be above and behind the storefronts.

Smith said the company is developing the residential area on Veterans before the resort area because "there is a tremendous demand for work-force housing."

Construction cost on the 19-acre site is estimated at $75 million. RW plans to invest a total of $800 million in its Biloxi properties in the area the developers have designated the Gold Coast.

Smith expects the Gold Coast developments to have a major impact on Biloxi. He said a positive aspect of the locations is "we are not tearing down homes. We are replacing vacant, blighted lots with quality developments."

RW owns about 50 acres near the beach including 63 percent of the property on Veterans Avenue and property on both sides of U.S. 90 at Veterans and Travia avenues. The first phase of South Beach is being built on the south side of U.S. 90 with an expected completion next summer.

Granville Smith, RW Development vice president

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[Red UM Rebel]

Gulfport council left firms hanging
By RYAN LaFONTAINE
rlafontaine@sunherald.com

GULFPORT --Three of the nation's largest developers want to help transform Gulfport from a struggling, storm-pummeled harbor town to a Southeastern jewel.

Their work, an extreme makeover, would be funded mostly through federal grants and hiring them would arguably be the boldest leap forward of any South Mississippi town since Hurricane Katrina.

Maybe it was bad blood between local politicians or simply cautious consideration from city leaders, but whatever the reason, the development firms were left hanging last week without a confirmation vote from the City Council and their futures will remain uncertain at least until Tuesday, when the council is expected to revisit the issue.

A special committee, established to find a reputable developer for the role of citywide design consultant, began sorting through potential development firms in February.

The committee recommended last week the City Council begin negotiations with three megadevelopers, but the council voted to delay a confirmation until Tuesday, giving council members time to review the professional backgrounds of each firm.

Throughout the selection process, committee members were bound by a confidentiality agreement because of fear that leaked information about selections could make for grumpy developers and kill any potential deal.

For weeks, council members tried unsuccessfully to pry bits of information from those on the committee about what was happening during the selection meetings and the process being used to make the determination.

Not even Councilwoman Libby Milner-Roland, who served on the selection committee, was allowed to speak freely to her fellow council members. State Rep. Frances Fredricks, D-Gulfport, who was appointed to serve on the committee by Councilwoman Ella Holmes-Hines, could not report back on what was happening behind closed doors.

It didn't take long for the tight-lipped tactic to frustrate the council and they voiced their chagrin last week when they voted against the recommendation.

"How can the committee be put under a confidentiality agreement and not be allowed to speak freely to the City Council? Why does the administration have so little trust in us?" Councilwoman Barbara Nalley asked.

Nalley said the committee handed three pages to each council member before last week's meeting. Each page contained a brief description of the three developers and their proposals, which she said was hardly enough material to convince her to accept a recommendation.

"That's part of the problem in Gulfport right now. We're the ones making the decision, not the committee. And if we are going to be asked to make a final determination on something, then we have to know what we are voting on and we have to be involved in the process," she said.

The committee urged the council to begin negotiating with New Orleans developer Pres Kabacoff, whose fingerprints are on the Riverwalk and the Warehouse District, to redesign the 92-acre Veterans Affairs property on U.S. 90 as a mixed-use public property, using part of it for a convention and resort complex.

The committee recommended the council negotiate a deal with Memphis developer Henry Turley, whose Harbor Town community closely resembles designs from the 2005 Coast charrettes, to become the city's design consultant and help revamp neighborhoods and develop walkable communities.

In addition, the committee suggested Kentucky developer Bill Butler, whose firm, Corporex, has dozens of Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton hotels on its resumé, be brought in to create a massive development downtown.

"The administration and the committee were asking us to accept these developers when we had no idea what was being talked about in those meetings and how they arrived at their recommendation," Councilman Brian Carriere said. "I've since had time to read through each of the proposals from the developers and I think we're going to see some real action (on Tuesday)."

Carriere said hopes to accept the recommendation and begin negotiating deals with each firm, but during the council's negotiation process, he wants to grill each company about its detailed plans for Gulfport.

"The only thing that's being recommended is that we negotiate contracts with these developers, that's it," he said. "We would need to sit down with them and discuss their plans in detail, especially about the VA property and which buildings would be saved and which ones are too far gone."

Councilman Neil Resh agreed with Nalley and others who said there was hardly enough information available last week to warrant a "yes" vote.

"I still don't have (an information) packet or anything on these builders," he said on Thursday. "And another thing, why are we using out-of-state builders and not local guys?"

Other council members, however, say there are hardly any available local developers with the type of illustrious resumes touted by Kabacoff, Turley and Butler.

The council was invited to a reception in May at the Island View Casino on the night the selections were announced. Resh was one of the few council members to attend and quiz the developers on their plans for the city.

Councilwoman Holmes-Hines said she did not attend the reception for fear of violating the state's open meetings laws.

"We looked at that and considered it as an open, public meeting," she said. "I'm not going to show up and violate the open meetings law."

But the laws on open meetings are murky and weak. One part of the law says any assembly of members of a public body, including an "informal meeting," in which public business is discussed even though no action or votes are taken is consider a public meeting and the public should be legally alerted.

However, luncheons, ribbon cuttings, "chance" meetings or "social gatherings" of members of a public body are not covered.

The committee's recommendation failed last week by a 4-3 vote, with those voting no saying they just needed more time to review the proposals and history of each developer.

Mayor Brent Warr's administration, the committee and the development firms are hoping Tuesday yields a different result. They need one more vote to pass the recommendation.

Meet the big three

A look at the committee's recommended developers:

Historic Restoration Inc.

Pres Kabacoff, a prominent New Orleans developer known for converting old warehouses and factories into hipster domiciles, is the chief executive officer and co-chairman of the board of HRI Properties, a full-service real estate company and national leader in the adaptive reuse of historic structures. He co-founded the company in 1982, with a mission of reviving cities by creating diverse, vibrant communities.

The firm has completed 38 large-scale projects through public-private partnerships that includes 3,235 apartments and condominiums, 2,738 hotel rooms, 172,794 square feet of retail space and 500,000 square feet of office space, totaling more than $1 billion in development.

In its proposal the firm said: "HRI Properties and its team members believe that many of the historic buildings located on the VA site could and should be retained and adaptively reused."

Some notable projects: HRI overhauled a collection of six empty warehouses in New Orleans' Mid City neighborhood. The property had been abandoned for 14 years. Today, it has a 20,000 square foot landscaped courtyard with a swimming pool. There is 19,000 square feet of neighborhood retail with a coffee shop, wine shop, salon, personal fitness facility, restaurant and a farmers market.

Would-be role in Gulfport: To restore the 92-acre VA property on U.S. 90.

Corporex Companies, LLC

When it was founded in 1965, the company's primary focus was on commercial construction, but it quickly expanded its operations to include full-scale development. The firm has developed nearly 10 million square feet of office and industrial space and more than 2,900 hotel rooms.

By 2004, the company's portfolio included more than $1 billion in owned assets and it employs nearly 4,000 people.

Some notable projects: The Kentucky-based company has partnered with a local firm to develop $60 million in projects at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, including construction of a 135-room Hilton Garden Inn and a 108-room Residence Inn by Marriott.

Ovation is Coporex's master plan for the redevelopment of the Newport Kentucky Riverfront. The $1 billion project will feature nearly 1,000 residential units, 200,000 square feet of retail space, more than 1 million square feet of office space and a 3,500-square-foot showroom.

Would-be role in Gulfport: To begin construction of a major development at an undetermined location downtown.

Coastal Renaissance Company

The company is a partnership between New Urbanist Henry Turley and Locally Global Investments.

When scores of urban designers gathered in Biloxi in October 2005 for a weeklong brainstorming session to devise plans for rebuilding the Coast, they may have torn pages from Turley's book of building.

The designs for Coast rebuilding revolved around walkable communities and picturesque neighborhoods, down-home storefronts and sandy beaches. There were ideas for sidewalks, plenty of parks and town gathering places, roundabouts to slow traffic on major roads, and lofts built above neighborhood shops. Turley's resume is full of developments that feature those ideas.

Some notable projects: Turley's Harbor Town community near downtown Memphis is hardly the typical suburban subdivisions of cookie-cutter houses, fenced yards and attached two-car garages.

Harbor Town is full of Southern-style apartments and houses clustered around town squares. The homes have small yards and large front porches, with garages hidden from the streetscape. Walking is encouraged along sidewalks or gravel nature trails. There is a neighborhood grocery store and a school.

Would-be role in Gulfport: The company would become the city's design consultant, advising and working on many projects throughout the city with an emphasis on residential neighborhoods.

[Red UM Rebel]

By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com
The Diamondhead Casino Corp. walked away from a $100 million offer it considers too low for 404 acres of land bordering the Bay of St. Louis and Interstate 10 and is considering other proposals from major investors.

"We are for sale," company Vice President Gregory Harrison confirmed, and with direct highway access and two miles of waterfront, "We know what the land is worth. We've got a whole buffet of options."

According to a press release issued Monday, "The company intends, in conjunction with one or more partners, to develop a land-based casino resort, condominiums and other amenities on the property." A deal with Donald Trump fell apart earlier this year when he pulled out of the casino business.

The $100 million offer would have brought just under $250,000 per acre. Diamondhead Casino already has a non-binding letter of intent to sell five acres for $750,000 per acre on the less valuable west side of the property. It would be limited to residential use and wouldn't interfere with the sale of the entire property, but would give the company $3.7 million cash.

Harrison believes people in the area will be shocked when an eventual sale or partnership is announced. "We're in joint venture discussions," he said, with entities who are not yet in Mississippi but are flying in on corporate jets to take a look. "Unlike all other properties in Biloxi and Gulfport, the property has no height or density restrictions," he said. Harrison said the interstate casino won't be a truck stop, but a first-class property.

The Diamondhead Property Owners Association is watching developments closely. The 4,500 residents are considering incorporation, and President Donald Kraemer said, "If we were to incorporate and become a city, that 400 acres would be in the city of Diamondhead." A casino resort would bring in considerable revenue and lower property taxes, he said.

Diamondhead Casino bought the 404 acres for $4.2 million in the early 1990s

[Red UM Rebel]

$107.8M take at Coast casinos hits new Mississippi mark
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

Coast casinos were back to setting records in June after revenues slid the previous two months.

"Another record not only for the Coast but also statewide," said Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

Jumping $3.5 million to nearly $107.8 million, June's gross gambling revenues at Coast casinos surpassed the previous June record of about $107.5 million in 2005, just prior to Hurricane Katrina.

"The numbers clearly indicate a solid and vibrant gaming market," he said, and that is translating into a number of developers showing up at his office.

On the Coast, they are looking at insurance, land and labor costs, and once these start settling down, Gregory predicts another big increase in development.

With the opening of the Hard Rock Casino, he expects even stronger numbers for July and believes the state is still on track for a record-setting $3 billion in gross gaming revenues for 2007.

"That's just extraordinary," Gregory said, "especially post-Katrina." The number of hotel rooms is about 70 percent of what the Coast had before the storm and the casinos at 67 percent the square footage.

State revenues dropped $2 million between May and June after casinos in the Mississippi River counties posted $5 million less. Gregory said the numbers are actually staying steady in those counties because revenues fluctuate each month depending on the number of weekends, the weather and other variables.

Tunica benefitted from the Coast casinos being closed after Katrina, and Gregory believes it will take a major property offering many amenities for that market to begin growing again.

The Gaming Commission has approved the Myriad casino for that area and three of five additional casinos on the site that are part of a $1.6 billion investment.

[Red UM Rebel]

North Biloxi area bustles with activity
By PRISCILLA FRULLA
pfrulla@sunherald.com

BILOXI --Boutique shoppers in North Biloxi will have more choices this fall with the opening of Shoppes Nord du Lieu.

Tenants in the $8 million office and retail development, named for its location "north of the waters," will include WOW Cafe, Smoothie King, Subway, a day spa, a clothing boutique and a "white tablecloth" restaurant called the Red Eye Grill, which will serve steak and seafood.

The Popp's Ferry and Cedar Lake roads area, where the complex is being built, is bustling with activity. Regions Bank bought an outparcel of the property and LaQuinta is building an 80-room hotel nearby before the end of the year, said Biloxi real estate broker Scott Delano of Gulf States Properties.

Delano said the developers hope to bring shops and services "closer to the rooftops" in adjacent neighborhoods.

In the last 10 or 15 years many retail developments have sprung up in the shadows of "power centers" around big-box stores, said Delano.

"We are marketing toward a boutique shopper," he said describing shoppers who want to get in and out of a small shop in less than 10 minutes and get home quickly.

Gulf States Real Estate Services of Mandeville, which is affiliated with Delano's Gulf States Properties, is the developer and construction management company for the project. The company will begin construction on a second phase around the beginning of September, pending permits, said Delano.

At the same time, tenant build-outs should begin in the first phase with openings several weeks before Thanksgiving to take advantage of the holiday shopping season, he said.

Space in the 75,000-square-foot retail center will be leased for $19 to $25 per square foot. The property includes one outparcel in addition to the Regions Bank site.

___________________________________


About time, this project has had a sign up for about six years. It is nice to see that it is finally getting off the ground and going to offer new shopping to North Biloxi, D'Iberville, and Woolmarket consumers. To often is shopping in the area solely focused on the tourism market, so it is nice to see some locals getting a new place!

[fla_tiger]

Image from Sun Herald ~ Bar at the Hard Rock Cafe
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1112/675258680_06e7db3eb0.jpg?v=0

I have already gone today, ate in the cafe, and bought my t-shirt!!!!!

It is absolutely amazing and I hope everyone on SSP gets to visit. THE nicest casino/cafe/hotel in the entire chain. GOOD JOB!!!

The Hard Rock is just AWESOME!!! Could easily replace the Beau as my favorite weekend trip.

BTW, kudos on your Gulf Coast thread RedUM, very informative.

[Red UM Rebel]

~Sun Herald

$700M resort plans August groundbreaking
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

BILOXI --A tropical breeze blew into Biloxi this week when the City Council approved plans for Margaritaville Casino.

"Pending permit approvals, groundbreaking on Margaritaville in Biloxi will be in August," said Jacqueline Peterson, senior corporate manager of communications for Harrah's Entertainment.

Harrah's, which owns the Grand Biloxi and Casino Magic, is building the $700 million resort on the beach in partnership with Pascagoula-born, world-renowned singer Jimmy Buffett. The resort is targeted to open in 2010.

Councilman George Lawrence still has questions about traffic but made the vote unanimous to approve an amended master plan and conditional use for the resort. Margaritaville Casino cleared both the Biloxi Architectural Review Commission and Planning Commission on July 5.

Lawrence is sure the resort will be popular and he is concerned traffic will back up on U.S. 90. Harrah's is negotiating with the city to close Oak Street in exchange for building a boat ramp on Kuhn Street, and Lawrence thinks the boat trailers will cause even more traffic problems. He also went on record against the company building any parking garage directly on U.S. 90.

When Margaritaville is built, there will be less casino space in the area than before Hurricane Katrina, said Jonathan Kiser of Neel-Schaffer in Gulfport, which did traffic projections. There will be four signals on three westbound lanes and four eastbound lanes, he said, and multiple entry points into the resort. The parking garage at Grand Biloxi will be connected to Margaritaville Casino by two pedestrian walkways over U.S. 90.

Buffett is designing Margaritaville Casino around his memories of growing up on the Coast and said, "I plan to be pretty active in this." It's the first time the Margaritaville theme that Buffett has used to create casual restaurants around the world will be translated into a casino.

The investment is the largest in South Mississippi since Katrina, and Harrah's is also expanding worldwide.

Peterson said the company just announced a $1 billion expansion of their flagship resort, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Harrah's also recently announced new hotels at Harrah's Atlantic City and Harrah's New Orleans and an expansion of Horseshoe Casino in Indiana. Already the largest casino company in the world, Harrah's continues to develop its brand abroad. The purchase of London Clubs International included nine casinos in the U.K. plus three in Egypt and one in South Africa. The company is also building a casino in Spain and is looking to build in Slovenia.

"We're always looking for opportunities," said Peterson.



:tup:

[Red UM Rebel]

~Sun Herald (http://www.sunherald.com/casinos/story/109172.html)

Club hopes to break ground in mid-October
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI --The only thing found after a casino barge squashed the Biloxi Yacht Club during Hurricane Katrina was a trophy that is displayed in the temporary headquarters on the beach - a double-wide trailer - until a new home is built for the memento and membership.

The club has plans in hand for a new facility and last week received a conditional use permit from the Biloxi City Council. In the next three weeks they hope to get title to land they are trading for their old site at 430 Beach Blvd., said Commodore Jim Graham. Then they can break ground by mid-October and open the doors to a new 12,500-square-foot facility in spring 2009.

The new building has three levels and the Yacht Club needed a variance to build to an overall height of 68.5 feet instead of the 50 feet allowed by the land ordinance. "It's definitely elevated," Graham said of the new building.

Inside will be a dining room and lounge, a 4,000-square-foot banquet facility and a room where junior sailors can socialize and attend sailing classes, Graham said. Placing the swimming pool at the front of the property will give members sweeping beach views.

This will be the fourth Biloxi Yacht Club facility for the group that is the sixth oldest in the United States. Hurricanes claimed the others. The original built in 1901 was wiped out by a 1915 hurricane, Camille washed away the second in 1969 and Katrina destroyed the third in 2005.

Developers of the Tivoli Hotel site approached the Yacht Club before Hurricane Katrina about buying their property. "They said they needed the Yacht Club for the view," said Jude McDonnell, the Yacht Club commodore in 2004. Mike Boudreaux and New Orleans developer Jim McPhail had plans to restore the historic hotel before Hurricane Katrina destroyed it.

After the storm, Boudreaux and Biloxi Capital LLC, owners of the Tivoli site, agreed to trade a parcel of land east of Tivoli to the Biloxi Yacht Club for the club's original property on the west side.

Attorney David Wheeler told the City Council the Yacht Club will retain a five-foot strip of land on the north side of U.S. 90 from the current marina to remain upland owners and keep riparian rights. Biloxi Capital has an option to relocate the marina within five years, Wheeler said. The five-foot strip and the current marina property would then transfer to Biloxi Capital.

Councilman Mike Fitzpatrick made a point of asking if the Yacht Club is benefiting from the owners of the Tivoli property, "just like the VFW." He was told the Yacht Club is receiving both the land and money and if the deal falls apart, the Yacht Club will stay where it is and get an SBA loan to rebuild.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2434 also recently traded land for its former site adjacent to the Tivoli property. Biloxi Capital and applicant, New Orleans developer Kenny Lobell, received a variance from the City Council to rebuild on Howard Avenue and Kuhn Street.

Graham said the Yacht Club is in the process of revitalizing the marina that currently has 22 slips. "We had 50 before the storm, and we're going to go back to 50," he said, whether at the current location or the new site if Biloxi Capital chooses to relocate the marina.

http://media.sunherald.com/smedia/2007/07/30/06/422-0729BiloxiYachtClub.standalone.prod_affiliate.77.jpg

[Red UM Rebel]

By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI --Nearly a dozen members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2434 wore their hats and brought their design for a new center to the Biloxi Planning Commission on Thursday. And they got their first approval.

By unanimous vote, but with several stipulations, the Planning Commission agreed to a VFW neighborhood center at the corner of Howard Avenue and Kuhn Street. The VFW application for conditional use now goes to the Biloxi City Council.

The hearing for the VFW was continued from the July 19 Planning Commission meeting when several residents were concerned about noise, late hours, alcohol and a big metal building in their neighborhood.

VFW Commander Joseph Canale said the 383-member VFW has operated out of a donated trailer in the parking lot since Hurricane Katrina destroyed their previous center.

"Originally, it was going to be a metal building," said Kenny Lobell of Biloxi Capital, who showed the commission drawings for a nearly $600,000 VFW center. The 5,100-square-foot building will be elevated 10 feet with space underneath that can be used for picnics.

Biloxi Capital wants to build a billion-dollar casino resort on the Tivoli Hotel property adjacent to the current VFW site and is relocating the VFW to a nearby 1.6-acre site the company owns. The VFW "asked us to come in and help them," Lobell said, and Biloxi Capital will help them pay for the building and find a contractor.

"This is an application for a neighborhood center, and we don't believe this is a neighborhood center," Attorney Stanton Fountain Jr. argued on behalf of four Kuhn Street residents. He said the building was a lodge or club as defined by the city ordinance, and neither is allowed in an R-5 zone, nor is alcohol.

"Are they known for wild parties?" asked Commissioner Jamey Hunt.

"As far back as any of us can remember, we have never been cited for a violation resulting from noise or an alcohol-related problem," Canale said.

The Planning Commission recommended the project with several conditions, including limiting the public entrance to Howard Avenue and restricting the hours of operation from noon to 10 p.m. on weekends and 2 to 10 p.m. on weekdays.

[Red UM Rebel]

Margaritaville groundbreaking coming soon
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

BILOXI --Margaritaville Casino sails into Biloxi on a wave of good news, with this month's groundbreaking coming soon after Harrah's Entertainment announced Tuesday its second-quarter profits jumped 85 percent.

Singer Jimmy Buffett came to Biloxi in May to announce his partnership with Harrah's, the largest casino company in the world. Together they will build the $704 million Margaritaville Casino on the beach. Construction is expected to begin this month and the resort will open in 2010.

Harrah's reported second-quarter net profits of $237.5 million compared to $128.7 million for the same time last year.

In the Mississippi and Louisiana region, total revenue was up 15.3 percent for the first quarter. During the first six months of 2007, this market earned $779.5 million, a 21 percent increase from the $643.2 million for the first half of 2006, when Harrah's Grand Casino Biloxi was closed for the period after Hurricane Katrina. Insurance proceeds of $37 million above net book value were included in the second-quarter income.

Results were also strong in Las Vegas, where Harrah's recently announced a $1 billion expansion and renovation of Caesars Palace.

Earnings were $922.5 million, up 14.8 percent over the second quarter of 2006.

In Atlantic City, revenue was up 13.7 percent to $592 million but income from operations sank almost 38 percent. Harrah's reported that "competition from new slot operations in New York and Pennsylvania, the implementation of new smoking regulations in New Jersey beginning April 15, and increased costs associated with marketing and promotional programs continued to hurt results in the Atlantic City region."

Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack, which opened in Pennsylvania in the first quarter, helped boost the area's results.

The sale of Harrah's Entertainment to a private investment group for $17.1 billion is expected to be complete at the end of this year or early 2008.

Link (http://www.sunherald.com/casinos/story/115495.html)

[Red UM Rebel]

Supporters, opponents get 3 minutes to speak
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

BILOXI --Developers of a proposed $1 billion casino project will reveal their plans for the old Tivoli Hotel site at a public hearing Monday night that will also see a revival of the Reviving the Renaissance Committee.

The Biloxi City Council directed the Planning Commission to hold the hearing to determine public sentiment for rezoning 30 acres of land from multi-family residential and commercial to waterfront. Public comments will be limited to three minutes to allow as many people as possible to speak.

The beachfront land north of U.S. 90 is the former site of the Tivoli Hotel. Councilman Mike Fitzpatrick said the Tivoli property owners will make a full-scale Powerpoint presentation.

A representative of Reviving the Renaissance is expected to present a letter from Ret. Gen. Clark Griffith, chairman of the committee that drafted a plan to restore and rebuild Biloxi after Hurricane Katrina.

It's a high-stakes proposition for Biloxi Capital LLC, the owners of the old Tivoli Hotel site. With soaring construction costs and insurance rates, they may not be able - without casino revenue - to finance the project they hope to build.

The developers declined to share their plans with the Sun Herald before unveiling them at the hearing.

In a presentation to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum Commission in July, Fitzpatrick asked for the commissions support for rezoning the property and detailed the plans and the revenues that would be generated.

He said the proposal is for 2,500 hotel/condos, 6,500 parking spaces, 100,000 square feet of casino space with 3,000 slots and 100 table games. The developers plan five indoor and three outdoor restaurants, 100,000 feet of retail shops, two swimming pools, a clubhouse and 175,000 square feet of meeting space.

With projected gross gaming revenues of $315 million, Fitzpatrick said the city of Biloxi would receive $13.8 million per year and the Biloxi schools $7.9 million. The $2.9 million that would go toward the Coliseum debt each year would cover almost the entire yearly interest the commission now pays. More than $2 million in tax revenue would go to the tourism commission, $9.4 million to Harrison County and $35.6 million to the state, Fitzpatrick said.

The hearing is intended to discuss whether the property should be rezoned waterfront, which would be necessary before the Mississippi Gaming Commission would even consider whether the property is a legal casino site.

In a letter to the Biloxi City Council, MGC Chairman Jerry St. Pé and Executive Director Larry Gregory cautioned that even if Council rezones the property, that doesn't qualify the site for a casino.

The current proposal sets the boundaries on the south as the mean high-water line (the toe of the seawall), north to Howard Avenue, east to Kuhn Street and west to Holley Street.

Gregory said the intent of the onshore casino legislation approved after Hurricane Katrina is for casinos to be located within 800 feet of the water's edge, or where the water and land meet. Gregory said he used the water's edge, not the toe of the seawall, to determine the 800-foot distance for Treasure Bay. The 800-foot law also requires the casino be adjacent to the state waters.

The Judge Cox Supreme Court ruling set the beachfront in that area as public property and although residents who own property upland of the beach pay a yearly tax on the riparian rights, they can't build on the beach.

Griffith will be out of town Monday but his letter will be read during the hearing.

"Tivoli is absolutely the wrong thing to do for a lot of reasons," he said last week and the Reviving the Renaissance Committee will speak out on important issues as they arise.

They fought the "375-foot monstrosity" when the condotel was proposed and now are speaking out against the proposed casino.

"The biggest reason is the city of Biloxi has told us all along they don't want to do that," he said of the rezoning.

At town meetings held after Hurricane Katrina, "The central theme that came out in every ward across the city was don't let us become wall to wall condos and casinos," he said, particularly along Beach Boulevard.

To get the state Legislature to agree to onshore casinos, "We had to convince them that we were not going to expand gaming." Local leaders had to promise they weren't going to rezone a bunch of other property.

"Rebuild the Tivoli Hotel," he suggests, as Biloxi Capital originally proposed. Or put a park on the site as the Living Cities plan proposed. The legislators have told the City Council no, the Gaming Commission said no and the residents of Biloxi said no to expanding casinos, "and they are ignoring all three," Griffith said.

Biloxi Capital hasn't applied for the rezoning. In July 2006 the City Council considered asking the Planning Commission to hold a hearing to rezone part of the Tivoli site and another area across from the sand beaches. They backed away from the idea when Mayor A.J. Holloway said he would use his veto power to prevent the city's waterfront from going "wholesale casino." Holloway said he will listen to Monday's public comment, but hasn't said if he would veto a zoning change on the Tivoli property.

Gregory told the Sun Herald in 2006 any developer must still prove the land next to water is an integral part of the development.

"It can't be land over there for people to just walk up and down," Gregory said. "It has to be connected. Integral is the appropriate word. That means significant. That's what we're going to look at."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you go

Who: Biloxi Planning Commission.

What: Public hearing for proposed rezoning of old Tivoli Hotel site.

When: 6 p.m.

Where: Donal

Snyder

Community Center, 2530 Pass Road.


Link (http://www.sunherald.com/casinos/story/118491-p2.html)

[Red UM Rebel]

T1GVIcKvZSM

By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

Link (http://www.sunherald.com/casinos/story/119283.html)

BILOXI --Without fanfare, construction began on Margaritaville Casino on the beach in Biloxi, three months after Jimmy Buffett sang "Margaritaville" as he and Harrah's Entertainment announced they were joining to build the $700 million resort.

Construction is expected to take 2-1/2 years, with the resort opening in early 2010.

Jacqueline Peterson, senior corporate manager communications for Harrah's Entertainment, said "The Today Show" will be at Harrah's Grand Casino Biloxi and the Margaritaville site Tuesday filming a segment for its "America the Beautiful" feature on how the casinos are helping to rebuild the Coast.



:banana: :cheers: :banana:

[Red UM Rebel]

By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

BILOXI --Developers are aware it will be a challenge to get the Mississippi Gaming Commision to rule their property is a legal casino site, especially since they don't plan development on the sand beach south of where they propose building the Tivoli Resort and Casino.

Daniel Conwill IV, managing partner of the property owner Biloxi Capital LLC, showed picture postcards of the old Tivoli Hotel to the crowd at Monday night's public hearing. One old photograph was of the seawall, which Thompson Engineers used to determine the location of the toe. They measured 800 feet inland and planned the casino to be entirely within the 800 feet, as required by the onshore gaming law.

According to state law, private property north of Beach Boulevard cannot be zoned for gambing unless it is connected to private property that touches the waters of the Mississippi Sound.

The company's lawyers and consultants outlined their strategy to have the site deemed legal for a casino.

They hired attorney Britt Singletary, who was successful in getting the IP property declared a legal site. He told the crowd he will educate the Gaming Commission on the legalities of the property and he hopes they will be "fair-minded."

Gaming Commission Chairman Jerry St. Pé said Tuesday, "This isn't about educating the Gaming Commission but meeting the requirements of the law."

Singletary said U.S. 90 isn't owned by the state but is an easement, which excludes that area from the 800-foot rule. The determination of a legal site has nothing to do with the casino property touching water, he said, or the legislators would have written that into the law.

Rep. Roger Ishee, one of about a half-dozen state legislators who attended the hearing, said the onshore gaming legislation narrowly passed. "They wanted to abolish it," he said of legalized gambling, and he believes talk of rezoning the Tivoli property is hitting them over the head with the issue.

Attorney Michael Cavanaugh showed a photograph of the Island View Casino in Gulfport as an example of a casino that was approved north of U.S. 90. The developers also pointed to the Broadwater Casino that was also approved as a gaming site on the north side of the highway.

"We have not approved anything that is similar to this site," said Larry Gregory, Gaming Commission executive director. With the provisions of the law and the 800-foot regulation, "We're looking at a whole different scenario. Nothing has been presented to this commission by anyone," he said. St. Pé said that while zoning is critical to determining a legal gaming site, it's not appropriate for the Gaming Commission to get involved or comment on the zoning process.

One audience member said it's unreasonable to think the site can't be developed without a casino when there are condos under construction up and down the beach.

The public hearing will be continued during the Planning Commission hearing Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Community Development office.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tavistock Group
The majority partner in Biloxi Capital LLC, Tavistock is a global company with interests in 170 companies in 15 countries, according to its Web site. Their holdings include name brands like Puma and Vans sportswear and Bristol Cars Ltd., along with insurance services, boutique restaurants and golf communities. Their Web site is tavistock.com.


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Tivoli Group Makes Pitch For Casino Zoning Change

Developers say their billion dollar casino plans for the old Tivoli hotel site are absolutely the right thing to do. Now, they must convince the Biloxi Planning Commission to rezone the Tivoli property.

The proposed casino has 2,500 condo rooms, a variety of shops, several restaurants, and a casino. And it could mean $21 million a year in taxes for Biloxi and its schools. But, the new Tivoli can't be built without a zoning change.

Just hours before a Monday public hearing about the Tivoli's zoning, Biloxi Capital gave WLOX News a computer enhanced drawings of what it would like to build in east Biloxi. Dan Conwill is one of the equity partners in this endeavor.

"It's ambitious, yes, but it's also a very realistic project," he said after rehearsing for the Monday night hearing.

Developers of the new Tivoli have acquired 30 acres of land between Highway 90 and Howard Avenue. They'd like to convert an area littered with the weedy remnants of Hurricane Katrina into a massive Biloxi resort.

"I think it's what the coast needs to expand this marketplace," Conwill said.

The Tivoli site is down the street from Biloxi's casino row. However, nothing west of Kuhn Street is zoned for casinos. And Biloxi Capital needs the waterfront zoning distinction before the new Tivoli comes out of the ground.

To help make that argument, developers got a letter from former Biloxi mayor Jerry O'Keefe. It was included in the packet of information given to WLOX News prior to Monday's public hearing. O'Keefe is rebuilding his home on Beach Boulevard. It's just a block or so from the Tivoli site.

"Now is the best opportunity in 38 years to realize the great potential of this property," O'Keefe wrote in a letter he'll present to the Biloxi Planning Commission."

He points out that the land sat mostly unused since Hurricane Camille hit the coast in 1969.

"This land is like a bride waiting at the church for 38 years, now is the time to act."

If the developers can the city's okay, they must convince the state to go along with their proposal So far, the Mississippi Gaming Commission has not taken an official stance on the Tivoli project, because developers have not filled out a site application yet.

However, gaming agents recently sent a letter to the Biloxi City Council. And it noted that if there was public sand between the water's edge and the on shore spot where a casino would operate, gaming commissioners would generally turn down that application.

The Biloxi Capital team has hired attorney Dan McDaniel. He specializes in Mississippi casino site approval cases.

"I think the site is legal. It's my opinion the site is legal," McDaniel said.

Developers say they'll worry about the legality of the site after they get the waterfront zoning change from Biloxi.

"Without a casino, you could never afford to build a resort of this scale, and with the amenities we're offering," said Conwill.

by Brad Kessie


Check out this LINK (http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?s=6925555)! They have a film on what the Tivoli project could look like. It would be the first TRULY Las Vegas style project on the Gulf Coast.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Personal Note:

Although I truly hope that this project does get built, I sincerely believe that it will not. There are far too many NIMBY's up and down the coast in Biloxi that feel if this project passes, the entire coast will be condos and casinos. It is stupid for them to believe that though because who in the heck goes to Biloxi for the beach. The casino commission has also made it abundantly clear that they are not in favor of this project. The state legislators (especially those from Middle and Northern MS) that are from dry, "God fearin'" counties that want to abolish gambling in the state (even though it is the second largest producer of tax revenue) will ensure this project fails. There are so many obstacles for this project to overcome that I have not put it on the proposed sites portion at the top because frankly it is probably not going to happen. Still cool to look at though :tup:

[Red UM Rebel]

By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com
It was a record-breaking year for the Coast casinos, when Hard Rock Casino opened two years later than expected, Jimmy Buffett brought Margaritaville to Biloxi, Emeril kicked it up a notch in Gulfport and new projects were measured "with a B."

Billions have been invested in Coast casinos since the storm. The goal for this year's state gross gaming revenue is $3 billion, and a billion-dollar casino is proposed in Biloxi that will test the 800-foot rule for onshore gambling.

At the Southern Gaming Summit in May, Gov. Haley Barbour said he doesn't want gambling to expand beyond the current seven counties. That statement didn't stop opponents of a proposed Choctaw casino in Jackson County from worrying when Beasley Denson was elected the new Choctaw chief in July. Denson said he would look to the will of the tribe rather than this November's non-binding referendum in Jackson County to determine if the Choctaws will pursue a Coast casino.

When the Isle of Capri celebrated the 15th anniversary of casinos in August, Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway said the state far surpassed the original projections of six casino boats and $10 million in revenue for the state.

"We don't have paddlewheelers. Nor do we have casinos. We have casino resorts. We have a multibillion-dollar industry."

Casinos contributed more than $800 million in tax revenue to the state and cities in 15 years and Holloway said, "I hate to think where we would be today in this post-Katrina world were it not for the revenue and jobs created by this industry."

Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission for the past 12 years, thinks of the casinos as children he has watched grow. The state has evolved to one of the top 10 gambling markets in the country, and he's expecting more casinos to come.

Biloxi growth

Casinos have driven the Coast's post-Katrina economy, especially in Biloxi. Every casino in the city expanded or updated, and Hard Rock Casino, two days from opening when Katrina hit, finally got its debut.

Competition was keen for celebrity partnerships, promotions and expansions, yet cooperation among the casinos brought people back to work and moved the Coast to recovery. Players rewarded the casinos with record earnings.

Harrah's Entertainment and singer Jimmy Buffett are partnering to build Margaritaville, with construction to begin in August. Bacaran Bay plans to break ground before the end of 2007 and summer 2008 is the target for groundbreaking at Bayview Casino Resort next to Boomtown on the Back Bay. The Broadwater property has more than 200 acres to develop and spokesman Mark Calvert said they are looking for the right joint venture or sale. A $1 billion casino is proposed on the site of the old Tivoli Hotel, but that location faces rezoning by the Biloxi City Council and having the property declared a suitable site by the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

John Ed Ainsworth is managing partner of Old Bayview, one of the developers of the Bayview Casino, and he's excited about the possibilities in East Biloxi. Once Bayview and Bacaran Bay are built, the development on the Back Bay will equal that on Front Beach and he sees both locations doing well.

Boomtown Casino Biloxi, "the lone rider without any infrastructure," said Gregory, was successful in having the property the company purchased after the storm rezoned to waterfront. That opens the possibilities for an onshore casino rather than the current barge and lodging, although Gregory said it doesn't necessarily have to be a hotel.

Penn National, parent company of Boomtown Biloxi and Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis, and Harrah's Entertainment are both being sold to private investment groups. What changes that might mean to expansion projects isn't clear, although it hasn't stopped the plans for Margaritaville.

The national press took notice of the record revenue posted each month by the casinos and the celebrities coming to the Coast. Hard Rock Casino and Beau Rivage brought major stars to town and IP Casino teamed with the Mississippi Coast Coliseum to host a Roy Jones boxing match and other events.

The casinos used Katrina as an opportunity to rebuild bigger and better, with signature golf courses, fine restaurants, elegant spas and updated decor. Palace Casino opened a bakery and cafe among its many renovations and Treasure Bay expects to have their hotel tower and CQ restaurant open in September. Isle of Capri moved its corporate headquarters out of Biloxi and away from hurricanes, yet invested millions in the Biloxi casino.

D'Iberville

Site work is beginning at two casinos on the north side of the Bay and residents report that Harrah's is buying property in D'Iberville.

At Royal D'Iberville Casino, Mark Seymour Sr. said, "I've got all the approvals ready to go."

The West D'Iberville Casino being developed by former Las Vegas casino executive Peter Simon is expected to come before the planning commission shortly with site plans, according to D'Iberville City Manager Richard Rose. The casinos will be closer to Interstate 10 than the Biloxi casinos and Rose said the casinos are raising property values and residents are eagerly awaiting the change "on the northwest side of D'Iberville Bay Bridge."

Gulfport

Emeril Lagasse opened his very popular Emeril's Gulf Coast Fish House as part of the Phase II of Island View Casino's project. A third phase is coming south of U.S. 90 in Gulfport with plans for a hotel, more parking, perhaps a boardwalk and other development.

Isle of Capri intends to expand to western Harrison County with a $250 million Pine Hills Casino and development. "We continue to view that as a very attractive property," said Allan Solomon, executive vice president, especially with Go-Zone tax credits and the site's proximity to Interstate 10.

Although Long Beach voters approved casino development in the city, Mayor Billy Skellie said, "No one's been in my office making proposals" on property near the harbor. That is the only site he believes is legal, although there was a developer looking at another site the mayor doesn't believe will meet Gaming Commission approval.

Hancock County

Hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina, Hancock County bounced back with the help of its two casinos.

"It's been a fantastic 12 months," said Bob Davidge, particularly because 900 people were able to go back to work as Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis reopened.

While plans are being drawn for a hotel and meeting space at Silver Slipper Casino, the resort will have its first on-site accommodations when an RV park opens at the end of August.

The value of casino development was evident when Diamondhead Casino stockholders turned down an offer for

$100 million for its site directly off Interstate 10. Jets continue to fly into the area with major developers aboard who are interested in investing in Mississippi Coast casinos.

Virginia McDowell flew to the Coast for a quick look within days of becoming the new president of Isle of Capri Casinos. "We're working hard," she said, "and we're looking forward."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mississippi casinos

Here is a statistical breakdown of legalized gambling in Mississippi for the calendar year 2006:


Operating casinos: 27


Casino employees: 26,010


Gross gaming revenue: $301.62 million


Visitor volume: 35.65 million
- MISSISSIPPI CASINO OPERATORS, MISSISSIPPI GAMING COMMISSION


LINK (http://www.sunherald.com/casinos/story/123654-p3.html)

[Red UM Rebel]

By KAT BERGERON
kbergeron@sunherald.com

This is the story of the Mississippi birthday party that never was.

The state made humongous plans to celebrate its 100th birthday with a world’s fair, although they were called “expositions” in those days. This one would be the Mississippi Centennial Exposition.

More than a dozen foreign countries, Uncle Sam, modern manufacturers and many municipalities and states planned exhibits for the sixmonth party.

Attractive Spanish mission buildings were designed and an internationally acclaimed landscape architect hired. The chosen 147-acre site in Gulfport was touted for its waterfront beauty. Dec. 10, 1917, came and went without centennial fanfare. No birthday candles. No bands. No exclamations of the modern marvels such fairs introduced to a world moving far beyond the Industrial Revolution.

Instead, Navy sailors filled the exposition grounds. In a fit of patriotism at America’s entry into World War I, Mississippi had offered its centennial site free to the government.

The eight completed centennial buildings became the Gulfport Naval Training Center, and when the war ended the site became a medical center for military veterans. As new buildings went up, most adhered to the mission architectural style.

Fast-forward to the 21st century and this becomes a story of storm survival and renewal.

Hurricane Katrina badly damaged the Gulfport center of Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System — known locally as “the old VA.” A month after Katrina struck, the Department of Veterans Affairs decided repairs were too costly and did what it had threatened to do for years, close the Gulfport center.

In what could have been a losing situation, Gulfport came out on top when the VA gave the property to the city. As might be expected, heated discussions between residents and city officials centered on what should become of this prized land. The decision: To be developed as a new resort with many of the 19 buildings saved.

The developer, HRI Properties of New Orleans, will receive historic-preservation tax credits for doing the exacting restoration work.

“The VA is quite a landmark for the Mississippi Coast, and it is significant that the city decided to work with firms that will include the historic buildings,” said Ken P’Pool of the Mississippi Department of Archives & History, a champion of saving the Coast’s Katrinadamaged architectural heritage.

“Historic buildings like these are going to provide the symbols of stability and continuity and will be a rallying point for revitalization. They are a chapter in the continuum.”

That continuum began in 1912 when the state Legislature did the unusual by favoring the Coast over historically influential Jackson and Natchez. Legislators decided the exposition would be in one of the youngest cities, Gulfport, incorporated only 14 years earlier.

Jealous cities were finally resigned when legislators passed a 1916 bill that named the location. Even before that, Gulfport, Harrison County and the state contributed $125,000 each to a start-up fund, equivalent to $2.6 million each in today’s dollars.

Plans were for 18 centennial buildings, 10 of them permanent because the grounds would later be a park, much like Balboa Park after the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego. That California fair was running full steam as Mississippians planned their fair, so organizers studied what worked well there.

Mississippians grew wideeyed at the prospects: San Diego had reported more than doubled bank transactions, populations and building permits. Other local spin-offs became obvious. With all the visitors — estimated to be at least 15,000 a day — plans were finalized for an $800,000 bridge over the Bay of St. Louis. Gov. Theodore Bilbo pushed for a Coast-to-Jackson road to be called the Mississippi Centennial Highway and the feds agreed to match a dollar for every dollar raised for the road now called U.S. 49.

Russia, Italy, Persia, India, Spain and China were among countries committed to exhibits. The Southeast Satsuma Growers planned an orangeshaped building, and that was just the tip of the exhibit iceberg.

This exposition would be both education and entertainment. The coliseum was to seat 5,000, and Chicago and New Orleans entrepreneurs were to bring a carrousel and Ferris wheel. The state approved a new, 63-member National Guard cavalry to encamp on the grounds.

Mississippi’s famous aviatrix, Katherine “Loop-de-loop Girl” Stinson, would fly across the nation, and that, too, was just the tip of the promotion iceberg.

Although many Coast longtimers remember the VA site was to be a birthday exposition, its hugeness and economic spin-offs are long forgotten. Too much has happened since the Party That Never Was.

When the U.S. entered World War I, Mississippi offered the government use of the exposition grounds as proof positive the second state to secede in the Civil War had rejoined the Union.

LINK (http://www.sunherald.com/278/story/123727-p2.html)

[Echo Park]

I wonder how much money from tax breaks and other funds intended to repair homes and schools for the working class struck by hurricane Katrina are being used on these luxury condos. I know there are a few in Alabama according to the AP...

[Red UM Rebel]

What they use is GO Zone Tax credits. Almost every luxury condo being built receives GO zone tax credits. These tax credits can be used by home owners to rebuild, but insurance has gone up so much if you live within a mile of the beach, that most people are selling to the condos and moving north of I-10.

[Red UM Rebel]

~The Sun Herald (http://www.sunherald.com/278/story/127142.html)By J.R. WELSH

STENNIS SPACE CENTER --Hancock County and NASA reaffirmed their prominence Thursday when ground was broken for a $175 million facility that will test engines powering the nation's next phase of space exploration.

On a blistering morning more than 300 people arrived on chartered buses to watch as politicians, business people and NASA officials symbolically broke ground for the A-3 test stand. Beginning in late 2010 the stand will test engines for the Ares I and Ares V spacecraft to be used in the Constellation program, taking Americans back to the moon and eventually to Mars.

The event signaled the continuation of Stennis' historic role in space exploration, which began in the 1960s with the testing of engines that would lift the Saturn V moon rocket in the Apollo Program, and has continued since the 1970s with space-shuttle testing. The space-shuttle program is scheduled to end just as the Constellation begins.

"It's a fact that if you're going to the moon or Mars, you must go through Hancock County, Mississippi," U.S. Sen. Tent Lott told a jubilant crowd in remarks before the groundbreaking.

Lott joined a list of other speakers, including U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, Gov. Haley Barbour and Stennis Space Center Director Richard Gilbrech.

"The Constellation program presented a really critical need for testing," Gilbrech said.

Upon completion, the A-3 test stand will tower 300 feet above the ground; it is designed to handle thrust levels up to a million pounds. It will use a two-stage steam-ejector system to test engines at simulated environments in which they will fly.

The stand will be used to determine flight-worthiness of engines powering two spacecraft in the Constellation program. It will test rocket propulsion for the upper stages of Ares I, a crew-launch vehicle, and Ares V, a cargo-launch vehicle. It will also test the core stage of Ares V.

Ares I is designed to carry four astronauts to the moon and back to Earth, and support as many as six crew members on trips to Mars. The core stage of Ares V will be powered by RS-68 engines, being developed by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, which was involved in the Saturn space program back in its earliest days.

"We tested engines and sent people to the moon the first time, and we're ready to do that again," said Jim Maser, the company's president.

Since the 1960s Stennis Space Center has been a major economic force along the Coast and in southeast Louisiana. NASA alone employs more than 1,700 government workers and contractors at the center.

However, the scheduled end of the space-shuttle program had thrown shadows over the center's future. They are now being lifted by emergence of the Constellation program and construction of the new test stand.

Aside from the center's regular payroll and economic spinoff, a large number of construction jobs will be created until the enormous test stand is completed.

"This is a very important commitment and a renewal of support for Stennis Space Center," Cochran said.

Said Barbour: "Most jobs are created by existing businesses, and we don't have a better existing business than what goes on here at Stennis Space Center."

Taylor said much of the financial good fortune at Stennis, and for Mississippi in general, can be attributed to Cochran's efforts on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. He said it would be more appropriate if the new test stand had a different name.

"A-3 sounds way too commonplace," Taylor said. "I think 'The Thad Cochran Test Stand' would be better."

[Red UM Rebel]

It's hard to say which is making more noise - slot machines or new construction
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

BILOXI --Two years after Hurricane Katrina shut down the casino business on the Coast, gross gaming revenue soared to a record high of $122.4 million in July, 11 casinos are open compared with 12 before the stormand it's difficult to keep count of how many more are proposed.

Developers Donald Trump and the Golden Nugget have come and gone, but others - including singer Jimmy Buffett - are investing in the Coast. Buffett partnered with Harrah's Entertainment and said he'll be very involved in the planning and design of the Margaritaville Casino, whose construction got under way this month.

Hard Rock Casino opened in June with huge numbers, continuing the Coast's record of expanding its market share with the opening of each new hotel/casino/resort. Casino executives and Mississippi Gaming Commission Chairman Jerry St. Pé said a year ago on the first anniversary of Katrina they expect this trend to continue.

St. Pé said the $500 million invested by MGM Mirage to reopen Beau Rivage a year ago is an indicator of what's to come on the Coast. "They spent that sum of money to make sure they had a world-class facility that was going to be able to compete with other world-class facilities that they're concerned are coming."

As Coast casinos built back, plush suites, spas, restaurants with celebrity chefs and signature golf courses became standard amenities and are transforming the properties into casino resorts to draw more visitors to the Coast.

Here's a rundown on each casino:

Beau Rivage

Beau Rivage's management has pledged to continue to be a top player on the Coast. The World Poker Tour begins Wednesday, the second anniversary of Katrina, and will focus national attention on the resort. Beau Rivage presents celebrity acts and brings conventions to the Coast.

Boomtown

One of only two Coast casinos without a hotel, Boomtown does have lots of land around the property purchased after the storm and rezoned waterfront. With owner Penn National Gaming being acquired by investment firms, it's uncertain when or how the property will be developed.

Grand Biloxi

With two pedestrian bridges over U.S. 90 that will eventually connect it to Margaritaville Casino, the resort is in a promising position for the future and is currently making an impression on guests with its spa and other boutique amenities.

Hard Rock Casino

In the two months since it opened, the resort has managed to attract both young and older guests with its music memorabilia from several generations. It offers both the Hard Rock Cafe and upscale restaurants in a classic-rock atmosphere that appeals to a big age range.

Hollywood Bay St. Louis

With a new name and image, Hollywood fought back from the storm to recapture its market and put 900 people back to work in Hancock County. Soaring insurance rates are making it challenging to move ahead with plans to grow the 600-acre resort. Special events and promotions are attracting new visitors.

Island View Casino

Gulfport's only casino is owned by two local businessmen who bought Harrah's Grand Casino Gulfport after the storm. They have since opened two phases of casino development and are planning a third. Emeril's Gulf Coast Fish House is proving to be popular since celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse opened the restaurant at the resort this summer.

Isle of Capri

After Labor Day the valet ramp leading to the resort will be demolished and construction will begin on a new casino, restaurant and other amenities. On Aug. 1 the company celebrated the 15th anniversary of bringing casino gambling to the Coast and has acquired additional land on the Point for as-yet-undisclosed development.

IP Casino Hotel Spa

The movie theater closed this month to make way for a $100 million project that will see the first onshore slots at IP, along with new shops and a new restaurant. The casino was the first to reopen after the storm and continues to be updated and improved.

Palace Casino

A 24-hour bakery and café opened this year and other projects are proposed. Mignon's Steaks & Seafood was the only Coast restaurant to receive Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence for both 2006 and 2007.

Silver Slipper

An RV park will be opening to provide space for guests who want to stay on the property but a start date for a hotel hasn't been determined. The Hancock County resort has a fine-dining restaurant and a buffet.

Treasure Bay

Rooms on several floors of the hotel have just opened; additional rooms, a fine-dining restaurant, lounge and conference space are expected to be completed in late September. Ninety guest rooms overlooking the new pool will be added later this year.

Approved or proposed

Biloxi

Bacaran Bay - Ground breaking is planned for before the end of the year and it is expected to be open by 2009. It will be the first all-suite hotel and the first condo hotel in a casino resort on the Coast. A big list of amenities includes eight restaurants, an entertainment venue, a blues club, upscale shopping, spa and fitness center, meeting space, business center, ballroom, on-site wedding chapel, dog hotel for guests' pets, a two-acre rooftop swimming pool and an Arnold Palmer signature golf course.

Bayview Ventures - John Ed Ainsworth, one of the developers, said they hope to break ground next year for the 60,000-square-foot casino and 509-room hotel.

Broadwater - Preliminary site plans were approved for a $1 billion project with two casinos, convention space, hotel and condo units, a golf course and retail space. One of the developers, Mark Calvert, said he and his partners are looking for the right joint venture or sale on the 260-acre site.

Margaritaville - Ground was broken this month for the first Margaritaville Casino, which will open in 2010.

Tivoli Hotel - Biloxi Capital's $1.2 billion casino resort is proposed on the north side of U.S. 90. The Biloxi City Council is expected to vote shortly on rezoning the property to waterfront, which would be necessary before the Mississippi Gaming Commission would rule on whether it is a legal casino site.

D'Iberville

Royal D'Iberville - Site work is under way and developer Mark Seymour Sr. said plans call for a hotel and casino, a marina, condos and an open-air market underneath elevated shops and restaurants.

West D'Iberville - Las Vegas casino executive Peter Simon received approval for the site and has said he plans a 52,500-square-foot casino with 1,500 slot machines and 50 table games. Site plans are expected to come before the D'Iberville Planning Commission shortly.

Western Harrison County

Pine Hill - Isle of Capri plans to build its second Coast casino north of Bay St. Louis on the site that was proposed for a Circus Circus casino. The $250 million proposed resort would be the closest Coast casino to Interstate 10.

Hancock County

Diamondhead Casino - An offer of $100 million was rejected for the 404-acre property fronting both Interstate 10 and the Bay of St. Louis for about two miles. Diamondhead Casino Corp. does have an option on five acres for $750,000 per acre.

Jackson County

The Mississippi Band of Choctaws has proposed building a casino at Exit 57 of Interstate 10. Both Gov. Haley Barbour and the U.S. Department of the Interior would have to approve the casino. Barbour said he isn't in favor of expanding casinos beyond the counties in which they are already located and the Interior Department hasn't granted any applications for locating a tribal casino 200 miles from a reservation.

[Red UM Rebel]

As many developments move forward, others are bogged down by obstacles
By PRISCILLA FRULLA
pfrulla@sunherald.com

The rebuilding of South Mississippi is well under way, though not as quickly as many developers would like. Since Hurricane Katrina, dozens of residential and commercial developments have been announced.

Some of those projects are moving forward and others have been bogged down in the permitting process or are still dealing with financing or bureaucracy before proceeding.

Here are updates on some of the larger and more widely discussed projects. Future updates on condominiums and other large developments will follow as they move forward.

Hancock County

In July, developers William Shanks II and Stephen Rimmer III broke ground on Shieldsboro, the first large-scale housing development to be built in Bay St. Louis since Hurricane Katrina.

Shieldsboro, the original name of the Bay, will consist of 280 cottages, duplexes, town homes and condos on 42.8 acres located at Old Spanish Trail and St. Charles Avenue. Shanks expects the units to sell for between $165,000 and $200,000.

Infrastructure is going in and "home construction will start in mid-November if everything stays on schedule," said Shanks.

Shanks and Rimmer presented their original plans in April 2006 and received approval from the city's Planning and Zoning Commission in August 2006. Original plans called for construction of 344 housing units, but in order to keep the many oak trees on the property, the number of units was cut.

Jackson County

In November, Bienville Quarters was announced. The 60-unit condominium project is to be built north of Interstate 10 on Tucker Road in Jackson County. Baton Rouge-based Ventures Development hoped to break ground on the project in February but had not done so as of press time.

Realtor Mary Ann Clisby said the developers were expecting to get permits this week.

"We are ready to start right now," said Clisby.

Harrison County

In Pass Christian, Skip Negrotto said his development is also ready to start, but he is waiting for action by the city.

"We are just waiting for the city to adopt the SmartCode maps," he said.

Negrotto and Steve Planchard are principals in the Harbor Town development announced in May. Negrotto said the project was granted conceptual approval in April contingent upon the transect maps that would go along with the city's adoption of SmartCode.

Negrotto had hoped to start construction in June but said the development has been put on hold until the city grants a permit. The development plans have 40,000 square feet of retail space under 150 condominium units and a two-story parking garage.

The project will be on the west side of Market Street, extending from U.S. 90 to Second Street. The development will overlook the harbor on property that was home to John Ellis Real Estate, Harbor View Cafe, Domino's, Tigres and other businesses before Hurricane Katrina. A lighthouse is also planned on the property.

Regarding a proposed D'Iberville retail development, "there is nothing yet to announce," said Loretta Edwards of Woodmont Development.

In January, the Sun Herald reported the D'Iberville City Council rezoned 40 acres for Woodmont's Bayou Bridges retail center intended to attract retailers such as Target and PETCO, but questions and disputes over a proposed access ramp from Interstate 110may have delayed the development.

Two massive Harrison County developments were also announced in January. An 800-acre project, River Hills, would adjoin Old U.S. 49, north of Jeremy Road and east of Mark West Road in the Lyman area.

Plans for River Hills have a 1-acre town square surrounded by retail and service businesses with above-store condominiums, 1,600 detached single-family houses and a wetlands conservation area.

NewShore Development's executive vice president Leigh Longwitz said the company is proceeding with the development.

NewShore is "working with our engineers on environmental permitting and defining the infrastructure and road specifications," said Longwitz, and "discussing long-term options for providing solutions for law enforcement, fire and schools."

The second Harrison County development, which will be known as The Village, will adjoin parts of the Wolf River. The 130-acre property at the southwest corner of Interstate 10 and County Farm Road was rezoned to waterfront district, which allows for mixed-use development.

Plans for The Village have more than 700 housing units, a hotel, retail office space and restaurants.

"We plan on putting a shovel in the ground before the end of the year," said developer Richard Bronsky. "We are negotiating with two major tenants, a hotel and medical center and plan on breaking ground some time in November."

Bronsky said the next steps in Trilogy CSI's plans for the development will be to build a retail lifestyle center and an apartment complex."

[Red UM Rebel]

Sitework is supposedly underway at the Bacaran Bay. They said they are preping the site with a new sewage station and then the cranes will be brought in.


:tup:

www.bacaranbay.com

[BLX 101]

According to Vieux Crescente's website, they have recently purchased additional property and is in the process of upgrading their master plan that will include a casino. They expect to post more news soon.

http://www.vuecrescente.com/

[BLX 101]

Bacaran Bay Recently got permision from the city of Biloxi to relocate a lift station from their site to property they purchased on the corner of Percy and Caillavett at their own expense. They plan to begin construction immediately after this has been accomplished.

[BLX 101]

Yes, Biloxi will soon be the Las Vegas of the south, but with a view of the gulf instead of desert hills. Another billion dollar casino (Casablanca) as equally as impressive as the Tivoli is planned for the former Biloxi Beach Resort property near DeBuys road. I hope that they reconsider and put it in East Biloxi. Perhaps on the old Lady Luck property after negotiating a deal with Harrah's (which owns the land). I'm against rezoning additional property in West Biloxi. I say with the exception of Treasure Bay and The Broadwater Beach property, keep the casinos in East Biloxi on Casino Row (the loop). If you've noticed, several of the new condos were slated to begin construction or start additional phases this summer. Many are stalled/delaying because they're waiting for the outcome of the Tivoli rezoning request to see if they can potentially add casinos or slots as added special amenities to their properties. I have also heard from a credible source that Steve Wynn and Donald Trump are indeed taking part in the Broadwater Beach redevelopment.

[BLX 101]

Red UM Rebel, I commend you on your postings to this site. The Mississippi Gulf Coast does indeed deserve its own Skyscraper Page. There are several major architect and development firms (such as Friedmutter, that have offices in Vegas and Atlantic City) that now have new offices in Biloxi. This fact clearly states and solidifies the fact that Biloxi is destined to be the next top tourist destination.

[Red UM Rebel]

You are most welcome BLX. I totally agree with everything you have said. It is such an awesome place to be right now, and the opportunities are endless. I have not heard anything about Vieux Crescente adding a casino, but it makes total sense because of construction prices soaring they would probably need to make the extra income to build their two towers. Do you know if the design will change for the towers, or is it going to stay the same? I also have not heard about the Casablanca. Is it another Biloxi Capital Venture, and I assume that it will face the same difficulty as the Tivoli. I also agree, I have heard from Mark Calvert at the Broadwater that "big" people have began to talk to him about the property. Anything going to develop where the old seafood museum and warehouse is? It is prime realestate, but with the Isle doing so much development across the street, I doubt they will do anything there.

[Red UM Rebel]

BLX, I found this info about the Casablanca on the Biloxi Website

7/21/2006


The Biloxi City Council on Tuesday faces an agenda of two dozen issues, including five requests for residential setback requirements, a sign variance for a rebuilt Waffle House restaurant, 194 additional residential condominiums in west Biloxi, and a measure that would direct the Planning Commission to conduct public hearings about creating new gaming districts in east and west Biloxi.

The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall.

The majority of the setback requirements involve neighborhood rebuilding or repair efforts, while the condominium project involves approval of Phase 2 of Oak Shores Condominiums, formerly known as the Oakwoods Apartments. Phase 2, which involves a nine-story structure, seeks several variances, including height and parking exceptions. A measure on the agenda would also allow variances involving plans to reconstruct the Broadway Inn Express motel on U.S. 90 in west Biloxi.

A proposal requesting a zoning change for a 12.8-acre site off Brodie Road for a proposed condominium project is also on the agenda. Developers say the project, called Magnolia Cove Resort, could also include a marina, restaurant and retail shops.

Councilmember Mike Fitzpatrick has introduced a measure that would direct the Planning Commission to hold hearings for input on proposals to re-zone 30 acres north of U.S. 90 between Holley and Kuhn streets for a proposed Tivoli Resort project; and a proposal to rezone 20 acres north of U.S. 90 from Debuys Road to Gateway Drive for a proposed Casablanca project.


LINK (http://www.biloxi.ms.us/cityatwork/cityatworkdetail.asp?ID=282)

[BLX 101]

Red UM Rebel, Below are statements from Vieux Crescente's web site that I inserted. If you recall, about a year ago councilman Mike Fitzpatrick was on Wlox and in the Sunherald trying to drum up support for both the Tivoli and the Casablanca. They are now concentrating on one project at a time for obvious reasons. Although the Casablanca resort is an awesome project, I am not enthused about the location. They want to build it on the former Biloxi Beach Resort near DeBuy's road backing the Gulf Coast Medical Center. I hope that they reconsider and build both the Tivoli and Casablanca in east Biloxi to create a strip similar to Las Vegas, not spread all along the beach front. I have no objections to condo developments in west Biloxi. If you would like to get a glimpse of the Casablanca Casino Resort, you can view it by going to the office of Gulf Coast Development Investments or go to the link below and click on Clearwater Beach Resort which was slated for Clearwater Beach, FL but never built. A forty plus story rendering of this very design was spotted in GCID's Vieux Marche' office labeled as the Tivoli but has now changed to the Casablanca since the Tivoli has been redesigned. On the web site of Dale-Morris architects, you will see that they also designed the Bacaran Bay as well as the Vieux Crescente resorts and have opened a firm in Biloxi.



http://www.dale-morris.com/portfolio.html


The Mississippi Gulf Coast is poised for growth. The casino industry is estimating over $3 billion in revenue for 2007. We expect the momentum of real estate sales to continue throughout the summer and fall of 2007. Vieux Crescente will begin providing updates on construction of the development in
upcoming weeks. - Sandmark Bay




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 01, 2007
RE: Update

Dear Vieux Purchasers:

Vieux Crescente remains in the Hard Copy Phase, with a little under half of the tower sold. Over the past six months we have gone from 7 acres to 16 acres. We think that our project would benefit greatly from incorporating a gaming product into the Master Plan, a goal we are currently pursuing.

In the near future we will update you as we move forward throughout this process. Again, we feel that this will be a great asset to the Vieux Crescente Project.

Also, we have relocated the Sandmark Bay office (Vieux Crescente) to 978 Division Street, Biloxi, MS 39350. Please direct all mail to this new address.

Sincerely,

R. David Sanders
Sandmark Bay, LLC
Vieux Crescente

[BLX 101]

Today the Biloxi city council held the first reading of the rezoning of the proposed Tivoli property. A vote of 4 to 3 passed to keep it on the docket. They will most likely vote to rezone or not next week 9/18/07.

[Red UM Rebel]

Red UM Rebel, Below are statements from Vieux Crescente's web site that I inserted. If you recall, about a year ago councilman Mike Fitzpatrick was on Wlox and in the Sunherald trying to drum up support for both the Tivoli and the Casablanca. They are now concentrating on one project at a time for obvious reasons. Although the Casablanca resort is an awesome project, I am not enthused about the location. They want to build it on the former Biloxi Beach Resort near DeBuy's road backing the Gulf Coast Medical Center. I hope that they reconsider and build both the Tivoli and Casablanca in east Biloxi to create a strip similar to Las Vegas, not spread all along the beach front. I have no objections to condo developments in west Biloxi.

Thanks for the info BLX. I did a little searching between and actually called the Cresente's sales group, and they did say that they were considering the possibility. I did look at the picture too. I hate to say it, but I was not blown away. I think that they might get the Tivoli passed, but West Biloxi is already happy the Broadwater is gone and the Treasure Bay is so small. I agree with you on the point though that everything should be kept east of the I-110 bridge. With the Cresente adding a casino, the Bayview Casino, IP possibly looking at a hotel expansion, Bacaran Bay, all of MGM's property that is casino eligible, the Hard Rock and its room for growth, possible Tivoli land, Margaritaville (and hopefully a Ceasar's one day across the street), a larger, nicer Isle, the point cadet casino which will eventually get built, the Palace expanding, and all that land behind the Palace which was originally going to be the Havana Casino there is little need to go elsewhere.

The only way the Broadwater will really do well is if they bring in a huge name. Well, what huge names are left? MGM and Harrah's are taken, so I guess that leaves you with Trump, Sands Las Vegas, and Wynn. I seriously doubt any of those would develop (except wynn might like the access to design a new golf course (Broadwater Bay Course)). I think that the Treasure Bay and Island View should remain a novelty and not the rule
.

[Red UM Rebel]

After 11 years, Caillavet ready for development
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI --Mayor A.J. Holloway is more than ready to see businesses, shops and apartments lining Caillavet Street, 11 years after the urban development project was proposed.

On Monday, Holloway met with a real estate appraiser, and once overgrowth and any debris are cleared, the city will begin marketing the 38 parcels. Holloway envisions professional offices and retail shops with apartments overhead and possibly townhouses.

"Two people are wanting to buy right away," he said, both local developers who lost their buildings in Hurricane Katrina.

With Beau Rivage to the south and IP Casino Resort on the north, Caillavet is well anchored. "We need to fill in the blanks now," said Jerry Creel, Biloxi director of community development. The plan is to create a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use area that will tie together the casinos on the Back Bay with the Bacaran Bay Casino that will soon be under construction on Caillavet to Beach Boulevard. Development could include restaurants, retail, small museums, street cafes and art galleries, "all along the way," said Creel.

To ensure the area develops as intended, Biloxi's Architectural and Historical Review Commission has agreed to look at all plans and maintain design standards for building or renovation, said Creel. Holloway is hoping other landowners on Caillavet will be motivated to upgrade their properties in line with the new construction.

The acquisition of land took years longer than expected and Biloxi Public Affairs Manager Vincent Creel said, "You always read about the business owners and the difficulty that they had in relocating, but the families were the ones that really benefited from this, because they were coming from the epitome of slum and blight."

In his State of the City address in February, Holloway called the Caillavet Street project, "a perfect example of following through on smart growth. This project helps move traffic in a safe and efficient manner. It's well-landscaped, well-lit and pedestrian-friendly. It creates opportunity for small business people, which creates jobs and enhances our tax base."

Caillavet is one leg of a traffic loop around East Biloxi that includes Bay View, Beach Boulevard and Oak Street. Holloway said the city is hoping to make Pine Street instead of Oak the east side of the loop. "That would open up that east end," he said. "We have money in the budget for the engineering," and Neil-Schaffer has begun the preliminary work. "It's going to take awhile to do that," and will be very expensive but Holloway believes the project will pay off in the long run.

BILOXI --Caillavet Street timeline

1996: Caillavet urban renewal project proposed.

November 1997: Community activists protest Biloxi's plans to relocate homeowners and business owners to widen Caillavet Street.

July 15, 1998: Biloxi Council tables resolution to turn Caillavet into a four-lane boulevard when business owner gets upset at meeting.

February 1999: The city will start buying property around April 1 but it will take about three years to complete the acquisitions.

August 2001: Plans for Caillavet Street are downsized to save $2.8 million, eliminating a service road and simplifying intersections to make them safer.

June 2002: The city unveils plans for the tree-lined boulevard bordered by businesses.

October 2004: The City Council agrees to pay state Sen. Tommy Gollott and his brothers $201,500 for land on Caillavet Street, which had an appraised value of $113,000.

November 2004: Ground is broken on Caillavet Street's transformation into a four-lane boulevard.

August 2005: Work is temporarily suspended after Hurricane Katrina.

May 2007: All four lanes of Caillavet are open.

AMANDA McCOY/SUN HERALD



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caillavet by the numbers

• The city spent $10.5 million to acquire 98 properties and about $9 million to build the road.

• The redevelopment project relocated 39 families and 24 businesses.

• The city has 38 parcels for sale on the east side of Caillavet.

• Properties south of Division have 25-foot frontage on Caillavet. Developers must purchase at least two parcels.

- Vincent Creel, Biloxi public affairs manager

[BLX 101]

Posted on Wed, Sep. 12, 2007
Vieux Crescente may get casino
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI -- A casino is being added to the plans for Vieux Crescente Resort and Marina on the Back Bay.
John Ed Ainsworth, a partner in Sandmark Bay LLP, said Tuesday the casino would be on land adjoining the Vieux Crescente condo towers. "We have from the water's edge all the way back," he said, and the land is already zoned waterfront.

The condo tower is more than half sold and Ainsworth said all those who purchased units have been contacted. "They are all perfectly OK with the project because they see this as a great benefit. It produces a much more attractive project with a casino site attached to it."

Unlike the proposed Tivoli Casino site, this property is already zoned waterfront and the water would be an integral part of the development, Ainsworth said. "We have no issue of these kinds."

The 30-story condo towers are among the highest approved in Biloxi, said Executive Planner Edward Shambra. The developers would still have to take the final plans to the Planning Commission for review and go before the Mississippi Gaming Commission for a license to operate a casino.

The initial plans called for two towers with 27 residential floors, meeting and conference facilities and stone terraces, fountains and gardens with a Mediterranean theme. A 200-slip marina is also planned.

"We're doing a reconfiguration of the project," Ainsworth said, with the casino near the water and added amenities.

"Most of the people that purchase are not locals," said Ainsworth. They come from the Midwest, the East Coast, California and other states and "they are very excited about us adding these products."

photo wasn't ready

[BLX 101]

Posted on Wed, Sep. 12, 2007
Tivoli backer buys big chunk of bank
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI -- The major investor in the Tivoli Casino project, Tavistock Group, was in the news Tuesday when its principal owner, British billionaire Joseph Lewis, filed documents showing he has become possibly the largest shareholder of Bear Stearns Cos.
According to AP reports, Lewis acquired a 7 percent share in the investment bank for $860.4 million. Bear Stearns' stock fell about 30 percent this summer due to the subprime mortgage fallout and Lewis bought 8.1 million shares over the last month. Lewis is listed by Forbes as the 486th richest person.

Mike Boudreaux, president of Gulf Coast Investment Developers Inc., said Lewis has been to Biloxi and sees opportunity both in the Tivoli and what can be given back to the community.

Daniel Conwill IV, managing partner of Biloxi Capital LLC, which owns the Tivoli site, is close with Lewis. Conwill approached Lewis about backing the $1.2 billion casino, and Boudreaux said, "He was immediately enamored with Biloxi and the opportunity for Tivoli."

Lewis runs the Florida-based Tavistock Group and controls more than 170 companies with holdings in oil, golf communities, manufacturing and other investments.

[Muskavon]

BLX or someone...is it possible to throw together a map of the area showing where some of these new projects are in relationship to the main casino area? I wonder about the proximity of all these things but have little knowledge of the area other than my visits to the Beau and IP.

[BLX 101]

BLX or someone...is it possible to throw together a map of the area showing where some of these new projects are in relationship to the main casino area? I wonder about the proximity of all these things but have little knowledge of the area other than my visits to the Beau and IP.

Below are two links with maps of Biloxi, giving casino locations.

http://www.casinocity.com/maps/?Nearest=OK&PropertyId=29100#top

http://www.biloxi.ms.us/PDF/condostatus.pdf

The Bacaran Bay Casino Resort is currently relocating a lift station and doing some drainage work at their site on the northern end of Cailavett near the IP--between Percy street and the Bayview and I-110 interchange. You can go to their web site and view the map to get a better idea of the location. Immediately east of Boomtown, is the site of the proposed Back Bay Casino Resort, and property at the northern end of Lee street was rezoned to waterfront within the last two weeks. The Vieux Crescente site is on the Biloxi Back Bay on the western-north end of Oak street, while Grand Biloxi is at the southern end of Oak. You can also get a better idea from their web map. The proposed Tivoli is on the Strip (Beach Blvd) between Hardrock and Grand Biloxi--Holley to Claiborne street. The northern border is Howard Avenue. The new VFW and Biloxi Yacht clubs are being rebuilt and relocated on the north-west and south-west corner of Kuhn street respectively. Just east of the Tivoli site from Hoxie to Oak is the former Lady Luck Casino property which is now owned by Harrah's. There has been no announcements of future plans for this site. I am hopeful that the forty plus-story Casablanca Casino Resort can be built here as a joint venture with Harrah's instead of west Beach Blvd. Of course the Margaritaville Casino Resort is currently under construction from the former Biloxi Grand theater to the Casino Magic site. The Isle of Capri is currently under going a $180 million reconstruction project and they also own most of the water front property from Beach Blvd to the Palace Casino Resort. Plans has yet to be announced for this site. Just north of the Palace at the eastern end of 5th street on the bay, is the site of the previously proposed 18-story Havana Casino Resort which I'm optimistic will be resurrected. An adjacent Venetian Biloxi Casino Resort by Sheldon Adelson(Sands) would make this area very unique and interesting. The city of Biloxi is in the first steps of extending the Casino Loop which will continue the new Back Bay Blvd (four-lanes that runs east of Boomtown to Oak) to Pine street which is parallel to Oak, on the east side of Grand Biloxi. This will open up more water front property for future attractive developments--hopefully some will be non gaming related but family oriented. We should learn within the next several weeks which international company will be developing the two hundred-sixty acre Broadwater Beach property. I'm pulling for Steve Wynn to build the next Wynn Casino Resort in Biloxi.

[Red UM Rebel]

By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com
Tuesday's vote on rezoning the old Tivoli Hotel property is one of the most important, and controversial, decisions the Biloxi City Council will make since Hurricane Katrina. Yet it becomes less significant if the Mississippi Gaming Commission rules against the property as a legal casino site.

At stake is a $1.2-billion dollar casino development, along with the sand beach and the city's reputation. The meeting is at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall.

"There's no project we're voting on," said Councilman George Lawrence, the lone holdout when the council voted to initiate the process of rezoning the land. Normally a developer or property owner makes the request for a zoning change to the Planning Commission.

Mike Boudreaux, president of GCID Development and one of the principals in Biloxi Capital that owns the Tivoli site, said other projects in the city have received waterfront zoning "with no plans whatsoever." The Planning Commission and the council have approved rezoning land for two or three groups of neighbors in East Biloxi who collectively applied to have their property rezoned WF with the possibility of selling to a casino or condo developer.

The Tivoli site is on nearly 30 acres on the north side of U.S. 90. WF zoning would allow the developers to apply for a casino site and also build residential, commercial and amusements. The Tivoli project could be built minus the casino if the Gaming Commission rules against the site, but Boudreaux said it's the casino that makes the project viable.

He is involved in 10 condo developments and said due to the high cost of land and labor since Katrina, "Things are just not moving now at all."

Boudreaux disputes claims that developers will flip the property if it is rezoned and becomes a legal casino site. "That is the farthest thing from the truth that I've ever heard," he said. He and developer Kenny Lobell originally wanted to renovate the Tivoli into something similar to the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. "That was our vision," Boudreaux said, but Katrina destroyed the hotel and changed the dream.

The developers, including Tavistock Group and its billionaire leader Joseph Lewis, are confident Tivoli is a legal site.

Others in the city are just as sure it isn't. Gen. Clark Griffith, who chaired the Reviving the Renaissance Committee for the city, brought maps and documents to last week's Council meeting. He said they illustrate what the city presented to the state Legislature when it was considering House Bill 45 to allow onshore casinos after the hurricane. It showed the land that was already zoned or proposed WF. "The Tivoli project is not included," and he said, "Surely this rezoning is not worth the integrity of our city."

least six state legislators attended the public hearing on the Tivoli rezoning and three - state Reps. Randall Patterson, D-Biloxi, Danny Guice Jr., R-Ocean Springs, and Michael Janus, R-Biloxi - were at the last council meeting. Guice said while he loves the jobs and taxes the casino would generate, he fears the consequences expanding zoning might cause in the Legislature, which rarely allows casinos onshore.

Rep. Bobby Moak, chairman of the House Gaming Committee, previously indicated he would attend a council meeting on the Tivoli project.

"They stood up for us," Lawrence said of the state lawmakers. "We're double-crossing them."

In a July 11 letter, Mississippi Gaming Commission Chairman Jerry St. Pé and Executive Director Larry Gregory reminded the council and mayor that even if the city rezones the Tivoli site, the MGC will determine if it is a legal location for a casino.

"The Mississippi Gaming Commission is particularly sensitive to the importance of reinvestment and redevelopment along the Biloxi beachfront, particularly East Biloxi," they wrote. "We recognize the burden of the mayor and City Council carry to sponsor activities which may lead to such development. At the same time, we must protect the overall well-being of the industry and maintain public confidence."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Council vote

During the first reading of the resolution to rezone the Tivoli site to waterfront last Tuesday, the council voted 4-3 against removing it from the agenda.

These are the council members' positions on the Tivoli:

David Fayard - Voted for the public hearing but said he probably wouldn't support rezoning the land. He voted for dropping it from the agenda

Tom Wall - He spoke in favor of the benefits of the project, but when the city's honor and reputation were questioned, he asked that the rezoning be removed from the agenda.

Mike Fitzpatrick - He went to groups all over Biloxi touting the casino plan and the benefits to the city. He has taken hits for that from residents who objected to his working on behalf of the developers when he should be working for the city. He voted for the rezoning to stay on the agenda.

President Ed Gemmill - He said at the last meeting he was anxious to hear from the people in attendance and how they felt about the rezoning. His could be the swing vote, as it so often is, and he studies the merits and shortfalls of each project. He voted to keep the proposal on the agenda last week.

Charles Harrison - He has supported the project and last week was impatient with anyone who spoke against it. He voted to keep the rezoning on the agenda.

Bill Stallworth - He said his vote for the hearing on rezoning wasn't necessarily his support of the project. He did vote to keep it on the agenda.

George Lawrence - He was against Tivoli in his ward from the start and continues to oppose expanding gambling north of the sand beach. He voted to take the proposal off the agenda.

Mayor A. J. Holloway - He has veto power over the vote. He has said he didn't want to get between the Gaming Commission and Legislature.

- MARY PEREZ


LINK (http://www.sunherald.com/278/story/143991-p2.html)

[BLX 101]

Biloxi city council rezoned Tivoli property today! :cheers:

[Velastor]

I stumbled on to this tread today while searching google to see which condos have started construction.

I've been more interested in the Mississippi Gulf Coast since Katrina hit because I like watching the area rebuild and hopefully one day when I'm old enough I will gamble....20 more months :hell:.

Anyway in all of my google searching, behold the power of google, I have read anything about Casablanca Casino Resort, other than that small bit on the biloxi.ms.us site, or the Venetian Biloxi Casino Resort.

Also, since you seem to know a lot about whats going on BLX, what do you know of the 2 proposed casinos in D'Iberville?

Another thing that gets me, why do people complain about a casino being build in front of the beaches? Condos get built in front of them and it is hampering people get on the beach, although that water does a good enough job keeping me off the beaches,. The only real beaches Mississippi has is on the barrier islands.

The suggestion for them to move the property might would work, but it would be hard for them to find an area this large without having someone refuse to sell or end up having to fill in to make the area perfectly square. The other downside to moving the resort is the view. More people will drive down US 90 and see the resort than they will if they stick it along one of the 2 lane roads near Backbay.

Last thing, its so funny watching all the rendered videos of condos and casino and see the perfectly "White" beaches and "crystal blue" water. I almost fill sorry for people that watch these then come for the beaches.

[Red UM Rebel]

Velastor:

A Wynn and Venetian in Biloxi is just speculation right now. There are those who say they have approached in an "interest" phase but that is it. The Casablanca site approval for a Condo can be found on the Biloxi City Website and early on this thread I posted a copy of it. Like the Vieux Cresente though, the expense of building just a condo has increased so significantly that it would be difficult to afford to build just condos, so they are exploring the option to build a casino.


I think NIMBY's who use the argument that they don't want the beaches "covered" with casinos are not clearly thinking through their arguments. If projects like the Tivoli are allowed to build on the other side of the beach, then the view of the water is not obstructed at all. The Tivoli site has been an eyesore for twenty years, and the idea that a beautiful resort would "destroy" the view is just not true. My one concern is that the City Council will have to be careful in what they approve. Biloxi is past the stage where any project under $500 million should be approved. If Biloxi is going to turn into the Tier 1 resort area that it deserves to be, then it must have Tier 1 type places.

[Red UM Rebel]

Mayor now has 10 days to veto, or not
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI --The City Council cast a 4-3 vote Tuesday to rezone the Tivoli Hotel site to "waterfront" and now Mayor A.J. Holloway must decide if he will veto the zoning change or let the developers go before the Mississippi Gaming Commission and ask if the property is a legal casino site.

"It's sort of like I expected," Holloway said of the alignment of the vote, which came after nearly three hours of testimony from the audience and an hour more of the council members explaining their positions. Bill Stallworth and President Ed Gemmill said they agonized over the decision and eventually sided with Mike Fitzpatrick and Charles Harrison in favor of rezoning. George Lawrence, Tom Wall and David Fayard voted against the zoning change.

Holloway has 10 days from when he receives the signed ordinance to decide whether he will veto; he said he will try to make that decision as quickly as possible. The council would need two-thirds of the members present to override a mayoral veto - five votes if all seven councilmen are present. Tuesday's 4-3 vote indicates they wouldn't have enough votes.

The developers have an ace in the hole. Because the council - rather than the developers of the proposed $1.2 billion casino - requested the zoning change, property-owner Biloxi Capital could still go through the usual channels and start the rezoning-request process all over again if the veto stands.

Holloway said after the meeting, "I've heard all the pros and cons," including the intent of the legislators not to expand gambling at this time.

State Rep. Michael Janus, R-Biloxi, told the council it was difficult to get fellow lawmakers in 2005 to approve House Bill 45, which allowed onshore casinos after Katrina. Both he and state Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, said the Legislature has no intention of revisiting the casino legislation or imposing a moratorium on future casinos. But Janus said a vote for rezoning would make it more difficult to find votes for continued hurricane relief on the Coast. "There is Katrina fatigue in the Legislature," he said.

Fitzpatrick told council members the millions in tax revenue he says the Tivoli Casino would pay to the city each year would help their wards. "We are in a crisis right now," he said. "Condo units are not selling." He said the Tivoli Casino could be the shot in the arm the city needs. "Probably within 30 months you would see that project completed there."

Several council members said they received a huge number of phone calls, e-mails and personal visits from Biloxi residents about the rezoning. "I have been talked to," said Wall. "I love this project," he added, "it's just in the wrong place," and he fears once this development is allowed north of U.S. 90, developers "won't quit until they cover this beach with casinos."

Stallworth went through a list of residents' concerns and said ultimately it was a zoning decision. Gemmill admitted he didn't know if the Tivoli Casino was in the right place at the right time, but said, "it's vital that we move forward."


LINK (http://www.sunherald.com/278/story/145457.html)





Tivoli Hotel after Hurricane Katrina

http://www.gulfcoasthurricanecenter.com/katrinapics/biloxitivolihotel.jpg

Provided by www.gulfcoasthurricanecenter.com/katrinams.html


The Proposed Tivoli Project

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1424/1407949091_fdec19892a_o.jpg

Provided by WLOX (www.wlox.com)

[BLX 101]

Velastor,

There were several condo projects that were slated to be under construction by now. Due to the high cost of land and insurance premiums, the sales have been slugish. Prior to Katrina, these units would sell within weeks. Most projects require 50 to 70 percent of presales before they can get finacing. During the Tivoli hearings, several of the condo developers came out to indorse their support because they believe that this and other projects like it, will eventually help to increase their sells. Unlike other developers, Jerry Wooldrige has his own resources to finance his South Beach Condotel Resort.
No, I do not have any information on the D'Iberville casino projects. I do believe that eventually they will get their share, however, I believe that as long as there is water front property available in Biloxi, the developers will find it more attractive.
As for as casinos in west Biloxi, it has little to do with the view of the beach. No-one has objected to Treasure Bay or the Broadwater site. For me personally, it is a congestion issue. It is a fact that the casinos has far greater traffic congestion than the condos, and I'd rather keep the bulk of the congestion in east Biloxi rather that West Beach Blvd where there is a high volume of pedestrians/beach goers crossing the highway.
In regards to the beaches, the condos are not being built on the sand beach, and that will never happen because unlike Florida and Alabama, there are laws that protect the Mississippi beaches for public use. There is a small stretch from Rodenberg to Treasure Bay which was previously developed. The majority of the sand beach is unobstructed. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The gulf waters of Florida and Alabama could easily have a higher level (content) of bacteria than the Mississippi Sound. The clarity of the water could be decieving and has nothing to do with its cleanliness. I refer to it as the Mississippi Sound because that is exactly what it is. The Gulf of Mexico is twelve miles out, south of the barrier islands. The protection of the barrier islands is the reason why we do not get the surfs or waves, as do our counter states, which would normally wash or filter out the silt that washes inland from the mouth of the Mississippi River which is due south of Biloxi/Gulfport, resulting in our water being brackish in color. Immediately after Katrina, the sound was noticeably clearer than it normally is. Bacteria levels in the waters are higher after each rainfall, regardless of the state. As you have indicated, the waters on the barrier islands are clear only because they get the surfs/waves, and the silt gets trapped between the islands and the coastline. The upside is that Mississippi has better recreational fishing because the sound has more nutrients that attracts a variety and an abundance of species. Along with golf, recreational fishing is a major tourist attraction on the gulf coast. Also, if you view a coastal map, you will notice that Mississippi's barrier islands are on the same latitude as Gulf Shores, Pensacola Beach and Orange Beach, AL. As you travel west, there's a break in the Land Mass creating the Mississippi Barrier Islands. Some of the islands such as the Caprice Island, no longer exists. Years ago, people used to travel by boats to the Caprice Island where gambling took place. Hence the name, The Isle of Capri.


http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=14035+Airport+Rd+Gulfport,+MS&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=52.637906,98.964844&ie=UTF8&ll=30.325471,-89.884644&spn=1.811219,3.092651&z=9&iwloc=addr&om=1

[Velastor]

The biggest downside to getting people to swim in the Sound is those water drainage pipes, they need to go. Even my mother that works for the State of Mississippi Health Department, has had people ask her about those pipes wondering why they let people swim in the water with sewer being poured into the water. They either need to cover the up, I think they are planning to do that, or removed them and drain that water off to some other place. On the concern of Bacteria, they need to put up an automated system with Digital Signs that they could turn on and off from a central point to display the bacteria content for the day to keep people safe.

[Red UM Rebel]

Velastor,

. Some of the islands such as the Caprice Island, no longer exists. Years ago, people used to travel by boats to the Caprice Island where gambling took place. Hence the name, The Isle of Capri.


SUCH A COOL FACTOID. THanks BLX :)

[BLX 101]

The biggest downside to getting people to swim in the Sound is those water drainage pipes, they need to go. Even my mother that works for the State of Mississippi Health Department, has had people ask her about those pipes wondering why they let people swim in the water with sewer being poured into the water. They either need to cover the up, I think they are planning to do that, or removed them and drain that water off to some other place. On the concern of Bacteria, they need to put up an automated system with Digital Signs that they could turn on and off from a central point to display the bacteria content for the day to keep people safe.


I agree, the drain pipes does not look attractive. A lot of people have the misconception that they are sewer pipes when in fact, they drain the runoff (rain) from several blocks in from US. 90. Ocasionally sewage is found in the sound. I know of one particular case several years ago before Katrina, the owner of a motel near Rodenberg was too cheap to repair his ruptured sewer system and purposely emptied it into the drainage system. That area of the beach was off limits frequently due to bacteria repeatedly testing positive for sewage. After many weeks and several people becoming ill, they finally found the culprit and fined him heavily. He should have served some time. The sand beach commission recognizes that the drain pipes are a deterant to some and are seeking ways to disguise them. I don't know how expensive it would be for engineering and a new drainage system near the beach area----We're talking twenty-six miles. I also don't know how effective the automated digital system would work on twenty-six miles of open waters, but I would imagine that it would be too expensive also. It is a good suggestion.

[Red UM Rebel]

I know I have commented on this several times, but those that go to Biloxi for the beach have not invested any time in planning a trip. The beach is a nice extra that differentiates us from the other larger gaming markets (las vegas, atlantic city, tunica, etc.), but it is most certainly not the focal attraction. If it was, the city would not have been facing looming bankruptcy before gaming was allowed in 1990-1991 from a hurricane that had hit over thirty years before. The beach is more of a view than a beach.


BLX ~ do you think Marlin will get his project under construction before the new year, and do you think the scaled down version will look as good as the website shows. If you look at what was originally planned and what is supposedly being built there has already been a pretty significant scale down.

[BLX 101]

SUCH A COOL FACTOID. THanks BLX :)

See Schooners and Ships (para:5&6) in the link below.

http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/features/feature61/gambling.htm

[Muskavon]

The link below is a satellite map of Biloxi, giving casino locations.

http://www.casinocity.com/maps/?Nearest=OK&PropertyId=29100#top


The Bacaran Bay Casino Resort is currently relocating a lift station and doing some drainage work at their site on the northern end of Cailavett near the IP--between Percy street and the Bayview and I-110 interchange. You can go to their web site and view the map to get a better idea of the location. Immediately east of Boomtown, is the site of the proposed Back Bay Casino Resort and property at the northern end of Lee street was rezoned to waterfront within the last two weeks. The Vieux Crescente site is on the Biloxi Back Bay on the western-north end of Oak street. Grand Biloxi is at the southern end of Oak. You can also get a better idea from their web map. The proposed Tivoli is on the Strip (Beach Blvd) between Hardrock and Grand Biloxi--Holley to Claiborne street. The northern border is Howard Avenue. The new VFW and Biloxi Yacht clubs are being rebuilt and relocated on the north-west and south-west corner of Kuhn street respectively. Just east of the Tivoli site from Hoxie to Oak is the former Lady Luck Casino property which is now owned by Harrah's. There has been no announcements of future plans for this site. I am hopeful that the forty plus-story Casablanca Casino Resort can be built here as a joint venture with Harrah's instead of west Beach Blvd. Of course the Margaritaville Casino Resort is currently under construction from the former Biloxi Grand theater to the Casino Magic site. The Isle of Capri is currently under going a $180 million reconstruction project and they also own most of the water front property from Beach Blvd to the Palace Casino Resort. Plans has yet to be announced for this site. Just north of the Palace at the eastern end of 5th street on the bay, is the site of the previously proposed 18-story Havana Casino Resort which I'm optimistic will be resurrected. An adjacent Venetian Biloxi Casino Resort by Sheldon Adelson(Sands) would make this area very unique and interesting. The city of Biloxi is in the first steps of extending the Casino Loop which will continue the new Back Bay Blvd (four-lanes that runs east of Boomtown to Oak) to Pine street which is parallel to Oak, on the east side of Grand Biloxi. This will open up more water front property for future attractive developments--hopefully some will be non gaming related but family oriented. We should learn within the next several weeks which international company will be developing the two hundred-sixty acre Broadwater Beach property. I'm pulling for Steve Wynn to build the next Wynn Casino Resort in Biloxi.


Thanks for all the effort replying. Took me a while to get the time to study that map and see where all these things are. If I get some extra time this weekend, I might plot those out on a street map and post it and let you correct any mistakes I've made. I think it'd be neat to have all the projects plotted out so we can envision what the whole may look like in a few years. (wish I had time to do this with Atlanta too).

[BLX 101]

Thanks for all the effort replying. Took me a while to get the time to study that map and see where all these things are. If I get some extra time this weekend, I might plot those out on a street map and post it and let you correct any mistakes I've made. I think it'd be neat to have all the projects plotted out so we can envision what the whole may look like in a few years. (wish I had time to do this with Atlanta too).

I edited my previous post to add a second map which gives a better idea of all the projects locations.

[BLX 101]

BLX ~ do you think Marlin will get his project under construction before the new year, and do you think the scaled down version will look as good as the website shows. If you look at what was originally planned and what is supposedly being built there has already been a pretty significant scale down.


Although I'm partial to the first renderings of The Bacaran Bay Resort, I feel that it will still be quite impressive. In an earlier Summer 2007 edition of Focus on the Coast, there was a page about the Proposed Back Bay Casino Resort (to be built just east of Boomtown) with a full photo. At first glance, I thought that it was Bacaran Bay (exterior design is identical to Bacaran's original) but it wasn't. Obviously they are both creations of Dale-Morris Architect. In the same issue was the newly designed Bacaran Bay.


Posted on Fri, Sep. 14, 2007
VP hired to manage Bacaran Bay project
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI -- Developers of Bacaran Bay Casino Resort are still hoping to break ground this year; they have hired a professional architect to manage the construction.
Meng Chai was named vice president of design and construction for Torgeson Gaming Group Inc., which is building Bacaran Bay on the west side of Caillavet Street.

Chai managed the rebuilding of the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi and the Island View Hotel and Casino in Gulfport when he was vice president of operations for Roy Anderson Corp. He is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University and is a member of the American Institute of Architects.

"Meng will play an important role in the completion of Bacaran Bay Casino Resort here in Biloxi," said Marlin Torgeson, CEO of Torgeson Gaming, "and will oversee and manage the remaining design and construction of the development."

The resort had to be redesigned after Hurricane Katrina drove construction costs up significantly, but Torgeson said the new plans keep the fun amenities and allow for future expansion.

The $600 million Bacaran Bay Casino Resort is expected to open by 2009. Accommodations will include condominiums and an all-suite hotel, and among the amenities will be a bowling center, meeting and entertainment venues, restaurants, shopping, a spa, wedding chapel and an Arnold Palmer golf course.

[Velastor]

The new map is great!

On the note of Bacaran Bay, I had heard they removed their plans for the 40 lane bowling alley. Maybe that report was wrong I read because that is one of the few things that underaged people like me look forward to. I hope all casinos at some point in their plans add kid friendly attraction because currently Biloxi needs more arcades, shops, child care centers, and other attractions to keep kids busy at the casinos, so parents will be more willing to bring them along and come themselves. At the present my family comes down much less atm because they are unable to gamble when they bring along grandchildren/children.

Anytime my grandparents or parents come down to eat, being the oldest of the underage, I always get stuck either sitting in one of the gift shops or waiting outside with the younger kids. Back before Katrina though almost every casino that we traveled to had an arcade or kid center so I wasn't forced to baby sit and I also had something to do.

Beau Rivage is the only casino that currently has anything for underage people to do...other than swimming pools, but that means you need to be a quest of the hotel. The IP had a movie theater, but they are removing it for the expansion as we speak. Boomtown said they will not be adding a new arcane to replace the old one due to insurance (seems very iffy to me), hopefully the Isle will put one in with their expansion, I don't belive the Palace ever had one, with the new Margaritaville it a step in the right direction with the huge retail they are adding, they had the wonderful Kids Quest before the storm, Hard Rock doesn't include any in their current state, maybe a future expansion, and Treasure Bay and Island View are still expanding so we can only hope.


I believe that will the slow rate of non-casino attractions recovering, it will fall to the casino resorts to provide this entertainment or they will not regain that part of the market till the outside attractions like the old waterparks, fair type place with go carts and such, and other things are rebuilt.


Sorry for the rant, but that is my biggest complant atm with the casinos and I really wish I could tell them this myself :)

[BLX 101]

The new map is great!

On the note of Bacaran Bay, I had heard they removed their plans for the 40 lane bowling alley. Maybe that report was wrong I read because that is one of the few things that underaged people like me look forward to. I hope all casinos at some point in their plans add kid friendly attraction because currently Biloxi needs more arcades, shops, child care centers, and other attractions to keep kids busy at the casinos, so parents will be more willing to bring them along and come themselves. At the present my family comes down much less atm because they are unable to gamble when they bring along grandchildren/children.

Anytime my grandparents or parents come down to eat, being the oldest of the underage, I always get stuck either sitting in one of the gift shops or waiting outside with the younger kids. Back before Katrina though almost every casino that we traveled to had an arcade or kid center so I wasn't forced to baby sit and I also had something to do.



Beau Rivage is the only casino that currently has anything for underage people to do...other than swimming pools, but that means you need to be a quest of the hotel. The IP had a movie theater, but they are removing it for the expansion as we speak. Boomtown said they will not be adding a new arcane to replace the old one due to insurance (seems very iffy to me), hopefully the Isle will put one in with their expansion, I don't belive the Palace ever had one, with the new Margaritaville it a step in the right direction with the huge retail they are adding, they had the wonderful Kids Quest before the storm, Hard Rock doesn't include any in their current state, maybe a future expansion, and Treasure Bay and Island View are still expanding so we can only hope.


I believe that will the slow rate of non-casino attractions recovering, it will fall to the casino resorts to provide this entertainment or they will not regain that part of the market till the outside attractions like the old waterparks, fair type place with go carts and such, and other things are rebuilt.


Sorry for the rant, but that is my biggest complant atm with the casinos and I really wish I could tell them this myself :)


Bacaran Bay is still planning a bowling center and movie screens. Unfortunately, most of the casinos are moving away from children's activities. The laws have become really strict. Working as a security officer at night in one of the Biloxi casinos, detering underage gambling has become our top priority. We have to turn a number of minors away, particularly on the weekends. I recently viewed a television special report that revealed Vegas has been moving away from kiddy attractions and are focusing more on adult attractions.

Families with minors staying in a casino hotel is a tragedy waiting to happen. The recent Madeleine McCann case is a perfect example. She was supposively abducted while asleep in a Portugal hotel room as her parents dined in a restaurant downstairs. Can you imagine children being abandoned for hours to watch themselves as parents gamble in the casinos. I recently had to respond to a room around 5:30 a.m. to children playing on the phone, calling the front desk. According to the six year-old, the parents had left to go get hot chocolate but had been gone for awhile. Personally, I wouldn't leave my children alone in a hotel room, not even for a minute. All sorts of people work there with access to the rooms.

Hopefully soon, more of the local family activities will return--Such as the new Infinity Interactive Visitor Space Center (John C. Stennis-NASA) in Hancock County; Marine Life Oceanarium at the harbor in Gulfport--hopefully they will combine it with a first-class State Aquarium since J.L. Scott will not be rebuilt in Biloxi; Pascagoula is seeking to have a war ship (USS Ticonderoga) that was built at the local shipyard, return to be used as a museum as part of their River Front development; and many of the proposed non gaming condo resorts in Biloxi are incorporating water parks to include slides and lazy rivers in their master plans.

[Velastor]

I forgot to post this earlier,


Biloxione.com is an site that contains a forum full of people that gambling in Biloxi. While it is mostly people discussing trip reports, every once in a while some really useful information will be posted like was posted the other day.

Someone on the forum posted this link http://www.ggbmagazine.com/audio.cfm?archive=1&secure=1
which contains interviews with the people that run the IP and Beau Rivage.

The interview with the IP has some nice info about their plans for a new parking garage with a new hotel built on top of it. The new hotel is suppose to have new shops and restaurants. I believe they will build this across the street in that new parking lot south of the current hotel. They could possible demolish the old parking garage once this is built to allow more room for their land based gaming expansions.

[Velastor]

Yeah, I can see why from a casino stand point how it isn't good for their to be minors, people under 21, unattended to. That is why I thought casino day cares were a good idea. I know the old kids quest at the Grand allowed parents to check their children in and pay to have them watched after by people that were employed by the casino. This allowed the parents to know their children were save while they gambled and allowed the kids time to play, so both found enjoyment. Also I can see where this can lead to trouble, kids getting sick...and other problems, but I still think that is a good idea at least for kids 12 and under.

The 13-18 group is sorta rebelious and would dislike having someone watch over them. Most in this group are much to young to attempt to get into the casino and mostly watch after themselves. This is why I thought arcades were nice. It would keep them busy and allow them to "Gamble" their money away on the games. While it would be easy for them to leave and get lost, it would need to be required that a parent stay with them at all times or something along these lines...which in turn is hard to do also, so it kills my point.

As far as older kids go the 18-21, my age group, it really falls upon how the were raised whether or not they attempt to gamble illegally. I mean even without their parents coming they could drive to Biloxi and attempt to get in. I know lots of people that looks much older than they are and could get in easy if they make it past the guard without them asking for ID. I remember that during one of my trips with my Grandparents to eat at one of the casinos a 19 year old was discovered gambling because he had won so much they were gonna need to report his winnings and they had to ID check him.

So there is good reason the casino execs to not even worry with kids because it wouldn't provide much extra profit for them anyway, but from the stand point of someone that can't gamble yet, the only reason to go to a casino atm is food.

But I do stand by the day care service as it would be a wonderful way to prevent kids from being left alone in hotel rooms because I have noticed an increase in young parents leaving their young children unattended to. I guess my parents raised me extremely old fashioned or maybe just paranoid, but no matter where I travel I don't like for my younger siblings and/or cousins to get out of my site.

[Sapphire]

Does anyone know anything about this development?

It is mixed use (condo, retail, etc)

[BLX 101]

Does anyone know anything about this development?

It is mixed use (condo, retail, etc)

It seems to be one of dozens of mixed-use residential communities that have been proposed for areas north of I-10 away from flood zones. The federal government is spending millions of dollars as we speak to run water and sewer to these rural areas.


Smart Growth News

Mississippi

Proposed Harrison County Projects Would Create 2,500 Housing Units Near Wolf River, Little Biloxi River

Despite last year's hurricanes and increasingly risky weather changes, residential pressures continue to mount in the Gulfport area, but at least developers are moving six to ten miles away from the coast, becoming environmentally conscious, proposing mixed uses, and offering more for infrastructure -- all factors in the Harrison County supervisors' decision to allow rezoning for the 130-acre Hawks Landing and 800-acre River Hills projects on rural land north of I-10.

Hawks Landing, proposed by a local firm of that name and Brown & Mitchell Engineering, reports Biloxi Sun Herald writer J.R. Welsh, would include 360 condos, 320 luxury apartments, a number of lofts and townhouses, nearly 100,000 feet of offices, a hotel and several restaurants, with the adjacent Wolf River bank and wetlands preserved for residents' use.

The developers are still negotiating with the county about water supply, sewage service and fire protection.

Some seven miles northeast of Hawk Landings, huge River Hills, proposed by River Hills Venture and Jeffrey Allen of Eco Systems, would feature 1,097 single-family attached and detached homes, numerous businesses, and recreational and other facilities, with both sides of the Little Biloxi River, which runs across the site's northern section, protected as open space.

The developers have already set aside land for a school, a county sheriff substation, and a fire station, but their water supply and wastewater treatment plans are as yet unclear.

''In order for them to be successful,'' says County Board of Supervisors President Larry Benefield, ''they're going to have to make sure all those things are taken care of.'' -- Sun Herald 1/9/2007

Resource(s): www.sunherald.com



http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/bystate.asp?state=MS

[Red UM Rebel]

I had heard they were in the initial stages of building a better parking garage either across the street either west or south of the property and demolishing the current one for room for expanding gaming and up to a forty story hotel. It was just rumors though, and if they tried something so ambitious, I would guess that it would be at least a year or two until they announced.

[Red UM Rebel]

Ishee vows law to block casino
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

BILOXI --Mayor A.J. Holloway is still considering whether he will veto the City Council's vote to rezone the Tivoli property to waterfront, and expects to announce his decision Thursday.

Meanwhile, Rep. Roger Ishee, R-Gulfport, has already decided to introduce legislation to prevent any developers from trying to build casinos across from the sand beach. By rezoning the site, the council is "opening a door to casinos from Point Caddy to Henderson Point," he said. He won't ask for a moratorium on casinos but plans to surprise the developers with his legislation they way they surprised the state senators and representatives with their move to build a casino on the Tivoli site.

Holloway received the signed ordinance from the council clerk Thursday afternoon, two days after the council voted 4-3 to rezone the Tivoli property. The mayor has 10 days from then to decide whether to veto or let the decision stand and give the developers of the proposed $1.2 billion casino their date with the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

"He is a good listener," Biloxi Public Affairs Director Vincent Creel said of Holloway, "and he's benefitting from the dozens of phone calls and e-mails and comments he's receiving on the street. He moves at a deliberate pace and that has served him well."

Rep. Roger Ishee, R-Gulfport, is dismayed with both the developers and the City Council and plans to introduce the legislation when the House reconvenes in January. He already has enough votes from legislators in the northern counties of the state and from the Coast, he said, to pass his bill.

"They're trying to cheat and come up with what they want," he said of the developers. It is unfair to the casinos that have already invested billions on the Coast "to change the rules while the game's going on," he said. "You don't do that in gaming or sports."

Ishee helped draft House Bill 45, which allowed onshore casinos after Hurricane Katrina. "They're trying to stretch what we passed," he said. "They do not have a footprint on the tidelands," which makes the Tivoli property an illegal casino site. Federal law prevents the developers, Biloxi Capital, from building on the sand beach, and without the footprint on the beach, he said, it isn't a legal site.

[Red UM Rebel]

I talked to a friend that owns some property, and he has said that the Royal D'Iberville Casino is interested in the land that is directly across from the IP just on the north side of Back Bay. I am not sure where the other casino is being planned, but I believe it is on the west side of the I-110 bridge. I am confused on why the Royal D. Casino is not under construction because the main investor was a man that used to own the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ok, so some discussion topics on Biloxi:

Do you think the Landry's Group will return to Biloxi and try another pitch at a Golden Nugget Biloxi. I went to the board meeting when they originally pitched the idea, and it was cool, but they really wanted the city to give them a bargain purchase on the land, which no offense, but the designs were not that great. Even if this Tivoli project does fall through (at least at its current site) there are plenty of other spaces up and down for a Golden Nugget to be placed.


Does anyone think another casino will built on Cailavett street south of the Bacaran. Although there is not a huge tract of land, there is still some there that fits the bill for waterfront property.


I have a friend that works at the Palace and he said there are rumblings about a new hotel. They say it could be up to forty stories and provide up to 100,000 sq. feet of gaming. Does anyone think that this is even realistic?


BLX, you commented that the Havana Project might come back like a pheonix, but what happened there in the first place. The original casino, although very cool looking, was not terribly ambitious. They seemed to have all their ducks in a row, and then you never heard about the project again. I contacted someone at Yates Construction saying I was doing a piece about construction, and they told me the ones putting together that project just stopped updating them one day.

Although I have lots more questions that we will get to eventually, the final thing to think about is the eventual expansion of the Hard Rock. Supposedly it is already doing better than originally projected, and i was wondering if that project will expand any time in the next five years. I believe they own all of that land directly between the current casino and the Beau. Hopefully they will eventually put in a tower there.

[Velastor]

From what I've read the Hard Rock is leasing the land between it and Beau atm and using it for parking. I think the owner of the land wanted to build a casino there, but I think the piece of land was too small for a legal casino site without adjacent land being part of the casino, so it would be good for the Hard Rock to possible purchase the land. I could be wrong though.

Didn't the Landry casino also want to build a massive 3k room hotel and the council told them it was a crazy idea?

Both D'Iberville casino are gonna be on the west side of I-110 so one of them buying land on the east side seems strange...

I don't think the city would allow a 40 story casino tower unless it was just an amazing looking building...isn't the Beau only 34ish stories tall. I always though the Palace was after the boutique style casino, small and very elegant. Unless they think the are gonna get a ton of people crossing the new Bay Bridge I think plans that large seem a little out of place atm. I think they should start smaller, but have it so they can expand those plans as needed.

If there is room on Cailavett street I think it would be a good spot for another casino. With the hopes of new shops and entertainment areas along that street it would be a nice area for those that enjoy walking.

I have a question though, atm how far along is the Margaritaville casino? Last time I was down in Biloxi they had started moving in some construction equipment in front of the Grand. I was hoping Harrah's would set up a site with a construction camera so we could keep track of the progress.

[BLX 101]

Posted on Tue, Sep. 25, 2007
D'Iberville hits casino jackpot
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


D'IBERVILLE -- The city of D'Iberville is about to hit the jackpot with two casinos ready to enter the game.
City Manager Richard Rose said both the Royal D'Iberville Casino and West D'Iberville Group filed applications with the Planning Commission late last week. Peter Simon, the developer of the West D'Iberville casino, has since asked that his application be held for a few weeks while he completes the final details.

The community will benefit from a redesigned interchange planned off Interstate 110, and improved roads, water and sewage before the casinos open. Rose said the city and all the major developers in D'Iberville - those planning multifamily housing, retail and casinos - met with the Mississippi Department of Transportation recently. "Everyone was there," he said, and working together.

The casinos will be built adjacent to each other on the Back Bay west of I-110, with the Royal D'Iberville centered between I-110 and the West D'Iberville development. Both already have the proper zoning from D'Iberville and site approval from the Mississippi Gaming Commission. The final steps are to get site approval from the city and financial approval from the Gaming Commission.

Mark Seymour Sr. of Seymour Engineering, who has worked for 12 years to get the Royal D'Iberville to this point, said he hopes to break ground by the end of the year or soon after. His site plans will be reviewed during a planning workshop Oct. 9. The Planning Commission hearing is Oct. 23, and the City Council gets the proposal Nov. 20.

Simon is scheduled to go before the Planning Commission Nov. 27 and City Council Dec. 18.

"I'm almost there," said Seymour, who was nearly ready to build when Katrina hit. He's optimistic that having the nearest casino to Interstate 10 and "the best protected site on the Gulf Coast" will be a winning hand. His plans call for a raised casino and a 400-room hotel tower atop a parking garage. The plans could change to satisfy the financial partners, but Seymour said, "I know I'm going to insist on the French market." He designed the open marketplace near the waterfront, with restaurants and shops upstairs. He also plans a marina and condotels.

Simon, a Las Vegas casino executive, has said he plans to build a $250 million project that will include a casino, meeting space and hotel rooms.

[BLX 101]

Yes, Hardrock has done extremely well, emerging from bankrupcy and paying all debt owed, since their opening. If Hardock expands, it will have to be to the north because I've known that Al Copeland has had this property tied-up since Katrina. He has owned the nearby property that was formerly the Bombay Bicycle Club for years. His original plans was to build his signature Copeland's restaurant but couldn't get the neccessary variances that were required. Whenever I got the cravings for Copeland's, I would go to Bombay for the blackened seafood pasta with a delicious creamy white sauce over bow-tie pasta. Before Al decided to put it up for sale, Bombay's menu offered a few of Copeland's signature dishes. Al was actively seeking a casino site in Biloxi years before Katrina struck. Immediately after the storm, he took his property off the market because he saw a potential casino site with the damaged Wind Jammer (where he himself owned one of the condo units). He has since bought the adjacent Hancock bank (that is relocating to Rhodes Flooring America property at the corner of Howard Ave. and Caillavett) which is across the street from the water front Wind Jammer property. Al is determined to develope a casino. I have been eagerly awaiting the plans to see if it will work.



Copeland holding out in Windjammer sale
Restaurant developer wants to open casino
By TOM WILEMON
tewilemon@sunherald.com

BILOXI - The majority of condominium owners at the Windjammer are asking a judge to force three holdouts to sell their interests to California developers who have proposed squeezing a casino resort onto the 1.5-acre site.

The California developers, Wilton-Henson Associates, have offered $25 million for the waterfront property between Beau Rivage and the Hard Rock casinos. Their contract gives them the "sole and absolute discretion" to terminate the agreement and be refunded their deposit during a 90-day feasibility period.

One of the holdouts is restaurant and real estate developer Al Copeland, who also aims to use the property for a casino resort. He owns two units and is buying two others. Copeland also owns acreage directly across U.S. 90 from the Windjammer. He contends it is impossible for anyone to develop a casino resort and condominium on 1.5 acres.

The other holdouts are Bobbie Skrmetta and W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co., which also tried to buy the property.

"What this really boils down to is nobody can put a casino development there but me," Copeland said.

If he acquired the Windjammer and added it to what he already owns, he said he would have about a five-acre footprint. Copeland said he has also offered the condominium owners $25 million. Wilton-Henson Associates gave the condominium developers the option of taking their share of the $25 million or a 1,900-square-foot replacement unit and marina slip.

Density limitations set by the city of Biloxi and infrastructure required by the Mississippi Gaming Commission would prevent a casino resort and condominium development from going on 1.5 acres, said Michael Cavanaugh, Copeland's lawyer. Generally, casinos in Biloxi have had a footprint of six acres or more.

Copeland has bought additional parcels around the old Bombay Bicycle Club property, which he has owned for years. Copeland founded the Popeye's chain, then acquired Church's and later sold them. He still supplies the restaurants through another business he owns and receives royalties for the use of his recipes. The restaurant brands he owns include Copeland's of New Orleans, Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro and Sweet Fire and Ice. In addition he owns the Improv Comedy Clubs and three hotels.

[BLX 101]

Ok, so some discussion topics on Biloxi:

Do you think the Landry's Group will return to Biloxi and try another pitch at a Golden Nugget Biloxi. I went to the board meeting when they originally pitched the idea, and it was cool, but they really wanted the city to give them a bargain purchase on the land, which no offense, but the designs were not that great. Even if this Tivoli project does fall through (at least at its current site) there are plenty of other spaces up and down for a Golden Nugget to be placed.


Does anyone think another casino will built on Cailavett street south of the Bacaran. Although there is not a huge tract of land, there is still some there that fits the bill for waterfront property.


I have a friend that works at the Palace and he said there are rumblings about a new hotel. They say it could be up to forty stories and provide up to 100,000 sq. feet of gaming. Does anyone think that this is even realistic?


BLX, you commented that the Havana Project might come back like a pheonix, but what happened there in the first place. The original casino, although very cool looking, was not terribly ambitious. They seemed to have all their ducks in a row, and then you never heard about the project again. I contacted someone at Yates Construction saying I was doing a piece about construction, and they told me the ones putting together that project just stopped updating them one day.

Although I have lots more questions that we will get to eventually, the final thing to think about is the eventual expansion of the Hard Rock. Supposedly it is already doing better than originally projected, and i was wondering if that project will expand any time in the next five years. I believe they own all of that land directly between the current casino and the Beau. Hopefully they will eventually put in a tower there.


Not sure about Landry Group but if they decided to re-enter, they would have to build on back bay. As you've stated before, any casino seeking to enter the Biloxi market would have to be a major player. Anything less than five hundred thousand dollars would not be able to compete. Every existing Biloxi casino has purchased additional property and is updating their master plans to include more upgrades and amenities.

In my opinion, if anything is developed south of Bacaran Bay, it would most likely be a condo project and definitely not forty stories which isn't allowed because it is within Keesler's air space. The Broadwater property and far east Biloxi is out of their air space. Forty stories have already been approved for the Broadwater property, and the Vieux Crescente although slated for thirty stories, will be taller than both the Beau and IP. I believe eventually a forty-plus story tower will be approved for east Biloxi as the Grand, Ilse and Palace are all outside Keesler's air space. The Palace's expansion plans have been public knowledge; a second hotel tower (though no specifics has been given) and a land based casino expansion was approved early 2006.

Regarding the Havana, after reading a tourism article, I spoke with Stephen Richer (Harrison County tourism Commissioner) who has some inside knowledge about the project. He felt pretty positive about the development. I guess they are regrouping like everyone else. The fact that the city of Biloxi still has it listed on their updated condo, casino and new residential subdivision development site, is a positive sign. It was updated last September 17, 2007.


http://www.biloxi.ms.us/PDF/condostatus.pdf

[Red UM Rebel]

I am still going to hold out for the Palace becoming a huge player. They have run the casino right, and I believe they have the opportunity and leadership to pull something out fantastic. Have any of you guys seen their new golf course (I am not sure if it is "theirs" but I know they are significant investors) The Preserve, it is amazing.


The Onnam group is the ones developing the Havana, and as I said, the original plans for 18 story hotel (although incredible looking) are not going to hold up against an amazing a 25+ story Back Bay Resort (I hope they change the name and BLX if you can find a photo of it I would be forever greatful), Bacaran at 20+, so on and so forth.

I still think that it is way too optimistic to think that Wynn is coming into our market, not that we should not be hopeful, but he has reinvested so much with his Encore in LV and his resort in Macau that Biloxi is probably not on his radar. The Beau Rivage lost soo much money originally too that I do not even know if Biloxi left him with a good taste in his mouth.


It will be interesting to see how the market develops though. Copeland's place will be a pipedream too I am afraid. It would be difficult to build something of any signficance on that small tract of land, and needs to be given over to the HRC so they can start expansion plans. (Yea, they are doing that good). And I really hope the IP continues to do well and becomes the largest resort on the coast.

I think it will be interesting to see the design plans for the Vieux with a casino. I loved the lines of the condos, and it is only logical that they expand.

BLX, Velastor, anyone else: whats the timeline of announced resorts or anything else:

Casinos:

Bacaran Bay: Starts construction in December 2007 - January 2008 and is completed by December 2009 - May 2010.

Margaritaville: Construction under way and is completed May 2010

Isle of Capri: Reevaluating expansion plans (They might introduce new theme or line because it would hard to pull off their current theme next to Margaritaville) and is completed (100000+ sq. feet casino, six to eight restaurants) May 09

Boomtown: Announce expansion plans by Spring 08 (including possible hotel and onshore move) and construction complete November 10 - May 11

Grand: Eventual change into Horseshoe (possible Ceasars) May 10 construction or change complete May 12 - November 2012.

IP: Large addition plans announced May 09 and construction complete November 11 - May 2012.

Other projects: Back Bay Resort, Havana, Vieux Cresente, Tivoli, Casablanca, Lady Luck Site, Windjammer site, MGM Mirage expansion across Highway 90, Broadwater Casino, Palace Expansion, 2 D'iberville casinos (One being $250 mill which isn't huge), and Choctaw casino in Jackson

In other news:

Edgewater Mall goes on the market
Many shops didn't know it was up for sale

by PRISCILLA FRULLA
pfrulla@sunherald.com

JAMES EDWARD BATES/SUN HERALD
Edgewater Mall on U.S. 90 in Biloxi will be sold soon.Edgewater Mall may be changing owners for the first time in more than 40 years. The property has been for sale for over a month, though many tenants didn't know it was on the market.

The mall's management company, Jim Wilson & Associates, confirmed the property went on the market in the last 45 to 60 days. Representatives referred other questions to the mall's owner since 1965, American National Insurance Co., or to the brokerage listing the property, Colliers Turley Martin Tucker, a division of Colliers International.

Phone calls to both American National and Colliers were not returned.

Of the tenants contacted, most had heard little or nothing about the sale.

"I've just hear little rumors," said Pat Gill of The Epitome.

Gill has operated his cigar store in Edgewater Mall for 36 years. He said the sale might be good for some tenants.

"My first thought was a little new blood and new investment" might be a good thing, he said. "The location is one of the best in the world. It has potential."

Colliers' Web site markets the property as presenting "significant opportunities for a new owner to capitalize on the strength of the trade area to add to the profitability of the center through conversion of existing below-market rate leases and the extraordinary redevelopment potential within the food court and outlots along Beach Boulevard."

Gill said if the new owners invest in improving the property first and then increase rates over a few years, the improvements might be worth the higher rent.

[Velastor]

What ever happened to the Foxwoods Biloxi casino? I know it fizzeled out but why did that happen.

Didn't the Lady Luck sit beside the Grand when it was in operation? All I really remember of that casino was the Dragon that came up out of the water.

Most of your timelines seems right, except I hope the Ip announces their plans sooner than May 09.

I know Harrah's stated they won't do any work on the Grand site of the road until everything on the south side of US 90 is finished.

I think the Isle needs to form a partnership with Harrah's because onces Margaritaville is finished it would be nice to see Casino Row reborn in some fashion.


From what I've heard and read the Beau doesn't plan to expand till it is required...that means no hotel rooms vacant and a casino floor with no room to move around on.


I loved Treasure Bay's ship, it was always cool to see it floating out there. They have removed that theme and it seems to me they are like a mini-palace casino. Similar theme, very upscale, but small. They dont have much room to expand except back across the road.

Boomtown really does need to add a hotel to their property, they are losing so much money having people sleep in other places.


The Island View is working on Phase 3...The old hotel south of 90. I'm not sure of their plans, but I know it involves that building.

The Hollywood casino seems to be so far out there away from the otherrs, I have heard little or nothing on this casino since it opened back up. So if they are planning something I haven't heard of it.

And lastly the SilverSlipper is suppose to be adding a hotel soon from what I've heard.

I think thats just about all the casinos and what I know of their expansion plans and what not that we may not have talked about already, along with some random stuff that came up in my head while I was typing this.


There are a few renderings of the new planned Choctaw casino on the Videos on Wlox.com...I think the look similar to their resort in Pearl River. I believe they will name the casino somewhere along the lines of their other 2 casinos because one side of the hotel seems to have a circle inbedded into it.

[Velastor]

Good News for those traveling on US 90 because a grass lot is better than a lot with a blank slab...but seems to me like the city is over steeping its bounds though.


Biloxi Asks Hwy 90 Land Owners To Remove Broken Slabs

Biloxi is taking a more pro-active approach to cleaning up Beach Boulevard.

About three weeks ago, the city began sending out notices to property owners along Highway 90 that they need to remove their broken slabs and other unsightly structures.

The community development director says with the new bridge opening soon, Biloxi wants to make sure the area is attractive to visitors.

"We're trying to clean up Beach Boulevard. And if you go down Beach Boulevard, what do you see? You see pilings sticking out of the ground, steps that are still out of the ground that lead to nowhere, partial retaining walls, partial fences. And those things are actually an impediment to the property owners being able to get in there and mow their grass," Biloxi Community Development Director Jerry Creel said.

Creel says property owners need to realize, when they remove their slabs and pilings, their property will be much easier to maintain. He also says FEMA paying for most of the debris removal up to now has saved individual property owners a lot of money.

[Red UM Rebel]

Council has 2 weeks to try to override it
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

BILOXI --Mayor A.J. Holloway drew a line in the sand Thursday when he vetoed the rezoning of the Tivoli property as a possible casino site, saying the sand beach is more valuable to the city than a billion-dollar casino.

The City Council now has 10 working days to try to override the veto. A resolution calling for the vote is not on Tuesday's agenda, said Clerk of Council Lucy Brashier, and if it isn't added to the agenda, a special meeting will have to be called.

"It's a difficult decision to veto a proposal that could have seen a billion-dollar-plus investment in our city, but this decision affects the entire city, and I must do what I believe is best for the city as a whole," Holloway said.

He gave four reasons for his veto. He believes the sand beach should define where casinos are relocated. Rezoning a casino site north of U.S. 90 would open a wide door he said "would expose this city to enormous pressure from property owners and developers seeking waterfront-zoning designations from one end of the front beach to the other."

He also thinks rezoning would provide Tivoli an unfair advantage over the casino developers who invested hundreds of millions of dollars in their Biloxi properties. And he thinks Tivoli doesn't fit with the city's long-range plan.

"My vision for the city encompasses an economically revitalized East Biloxi to balance the natural attraction we have always enjoyed with the sand beach," Holloway said.

Councilman Mike Fitzpatrick has been very vocal in his support of the Tivoli Casino and the taxes it would generate.

"It's a sad day for Biloxi," Fitzpatrick said.

Councilman George Lawrence was just as steady in his opposition to a casino on the Tivoli site in his ward.

"I just think it's the right thing to do," he said. "We need to protect the sand beach. We've got over 25 miles of waterfront zoning already."

The Council will need a two-thirds majority to override the veto, or five votes if all seven members are present. The Council doesn't have the needed votes, said Lawrence, because he, Tom Wall and David Fayard won't change their votes.

Biloxi Capital, owners of the Tivoli site, didn't return calls for comment. Among their choices if the veto stands are to sell or develop the 30-acre site without a casino or start the whole process over by applying to the Planning Commission for a zoning change, as the initial request came from the Council.

Holloway is the first to credit the casinos with saving the economy of Biloxi, but has remained consistent in his opposition to the expansion of gambling. Biloxi Public Affairs Manager Vincent Creel said on at least four other occasions Holloway has vetoed zoning changes for casinos he felt weren't in the best interest of Biloxi.

[Red UM Rebel]

Biloxi OKs expansion; construction under way
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI --An expanded South Beach Resort was approved Tuesday by the Biloxi City Council and the first condotel tower with 101 units now under construction should open late next summer.

"What makes us unique is we did not wait for pre-sales," said RW Development Executive Vice President H. Granville Smith Jr. "We've got the tower under way." South Beach is both the first new condotel project on the Biloxi beach since Hurricane Katrina and the area's largest non-casino resort.

The original design won city approval in 2006 and Smith returned to the Planning Commission and the council with even bigger plans. South Beach Resort will now have 650 condotels in five nine-story towers, all on the south side of U.S. 90 near Rodenberg. A 350-room hotel tower and parking garage will be built north of the highway and a public skytower will connect the projects over the highway.

"It is good to see a group like you come in, get approved and start building," Councilman George Lawrence told Smith. Lawrence also asked about traffic and parking. Smith said both a service road and South Beach Drive will run parallel to U.S. 90 to keep traffic flowing. Under the raised towers will be 260 parking spaces, and temporary surface parking will be provided until the parking garage on the north side is built. He envisions shuttles or valet parking to accommodate guests.

Councilman Charles Harrison said, "It works in association with the Coliseum expansion." Smith said the condos on the south side will be luxury accommodations while the hotel rooms will be geared to travelers and those attending meetings and events at the nearby Coast Coliseum and Convention Center.

In addition to the resort properties, RW Development plans to build housing, offices, shops and restaurants on Veterans Avenue between Pass Road and the railroad tracks. Smith told the council the company is hoping to break ground on the housing in the first quarter of 2008.

The construction costs for all the projects on all the land the company owns in Biloxi would exceed $1 billion, Smith later said.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2094/1502255845_f5c7ce2647_o.jpg

LINK (http://www.sunherald.com/business/story/156401.html)

[Red UM Rebel]

Development is booming around Popp's Ferry and Cedar Lake
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

BILOXI --Popp's Ferry Corners continues to be a development hot spot in the city; another shopping center and restaurant are on the way to the busy area near the intersection of Popp's Ferry and Cedar Lake roads.

The Biloxi Planning Commission gave its approval Thursday to the Cypress Lake Retail Center with 11,500 square feet of retail space and to the Grains of Montana restaurant. Both are owned by Cypress Lake Commercial and will be built on the southwest side of Popp's Ferry Road near Fayard's BP Station.

Biloxi Executive Planner Ed Shambra said the owners were justified in claiming a hardship when requesting variances for impervious surface coverage and landscape buffer. The property was divided when Cypress Lake Apartments were built on the rear section and the city acquired a chunk of the remaining land when Popp's Ferry Road was widened.

The board also approved a sign variance for The Shoppes at Nord du Lieu, now under construction on the northwest side of the street. The variance will allow one sign on Cedar Lake Road and another at the Popp's Ferry entrance.

Michael Saucier, president of Gulf States Real Estate Services, said about 70 percent of the shopping-center space is leased, with the first stores set to open by Thanksgiving and more just before Christmas. Smoothie King, Subway, Red Eye Grille, WOW Café, Fractured Prune and a spa and nail salon are signed, and the developer is now concentrating on leasing to general retail.

These projects must now go to the City Council for final approval.

A hearing on variances being requested to build The Bank nightclub and bar at 125 Lameuse St. was tabled until Oct. 18.

The City Council referred a proposal back to the Planning Commission this week for Briarfield Beach Cottages, a 21-unit condominium development on 1.07 acres at 157 Briarfield Ave. Residents complained it was too much development in too small an area. Shambra said the plans will go back to the Design and Review Committee to look at modifying the project and removing some of the variances.

LINK (http://www.sunherald.com/business/story/158195.html)

[Red UM Rebel]

Harrah's announced that they are removing the Grand name from the resort in Tunica and making it Harrah's Tunica. I can only assume that they will rename the Grand in Biloxi either a Harrah's or Horseshoe.

[Red UM Rebel]

Coming soon
By PRISCILLA FRULLA


Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport officials and tenants continue to celebrate unprecedented growth with a milestone ceremony for a new cargo facility today and construction on a terminal expansion wrapping up by the end of the month.

The Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport Authority will celebrate the "topping out" of its new cargo facility at 1 p.m. today. The $10 million, 46,000-square-foot facility will offer 20,000 square feet of chilled space when it is complete in February.

The airport terminal is also undergoing a $50 million expansion, which should be complete within weeks. Millions of dollars more is being invested in improving the property.

"I think it's going to be a very positive next several years," said airport Executive Director Bruce Frallic. "That's what comes from investment."

The terminal expansion, designed to double terminal capacity to 2.4 million passengers a year, began in 2004. Since that time more than $300 million in investments have been made in and around the airport.

"All this investment is from both the private and public sector," said Frallic. "We are delighted the private sector is so deeply involved in what we are doing,"

Investments include $52 million for two hotels set to open in April and a $15 million business center, dubbed Reflections. Two nearby restaurants are in the planning stages.

Frallic said about $43 million in cargo and general aviation ramps construction should be complete in July.

"The airport is basically growing very fast in terms of physical facilities and airline service." he said. "Once the cargo and general aviation areas are open, those will grow very fast, also."

A $6 million rental car service center is scheduled for completion within a month.

A $15 million parking garage has been proposed to begin construction late this year. Plans call for a three-level garage with 800 spaces, doubling the total parking spaces available now.

Construction on a new $30 million, 175-foot tower, funded by the Federal Aviation Administration, is expected to begin in 2008. The tower should be complete in 2010.

The airport offers 10 nonstop destinations on seven commercial airlines. Officials hope to add more carriers soon.

The airport authority marked its 30th year in August. The airport was constructed in 1942 to train flight crews for WWII; it was transferred to the city of Gulfport in 1949. Biloxi and Gulfport formed the regional authority in 1977.

The $50 million terminal expansion will bring the following services to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport:

• Seven jet gates and two ground-loading gates, with an eighth jet gate to be added in 2008.

• Two large new baggage conveyors with space for a third, in addition to original two conveyors.

• Expanded passenger screening area with multiple security lanes.

• New rental car reservation counters.

• New airline ticket counters with space for two more airlines.

• USO lounge for servicemen and women.

• VIP lounge to be constructed in 2008.

• New airside/landside gift shop, bookstore and four restaurant concessions.

• Two business centers with free Wi-Fi and work stations.

• Three covered vehicle lanes in front of the terminal.

• Three covered commercial ground-transportation lanes.

LINK (http://www.sunherald.com/278/story/160884.html)

[Red UM Rebel]

I have not done a good job following the Jackson County Casino story. For those unfamiliar with it, the Choctaw tribe of Mississippi (The tribe that owns the two casinos in Philadelphia, Mississippi) is investigating putting a casino on Highway 57 in Jackson County on land that they own there. The reason I have not posted too much of the story on here is that I am under the impression that it is fairly unlikely that this casino will ever be built. Not only do the residents of Jackson County oppose the casino, but the governor has already said he does not plan to approve it and neither does the Department of the Interior. The Department of the Interior commented that it is very difficult for a tribe to build a casino that is "Off Reservation." It seems like a plow by the Choctaws to keep development away from Biloxi and Gulfport to avoid competing with their casinos in Philadelphia. After Katrina they saw a huge increase in profits, and they are losing those increases rapidly because of the booming market in Biloxi. I did want to post some pictures of the possible project that I got of www.sunherald.com. Enjoy!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2357/1534322062_bd7a770479_o.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2051/1534322048_615fa03135_o.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2102/1534322034_878de5a9f9_o.jpg

[Red UM Rebel]

Coast's recovery all about casinos
By ALAN SAYRE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LINK (http://www.sunherald.com/business/story/162635.html)

BILOXI --The highway along the Mississippi Gulf Coast would be forlorn if not for the casinos, which are having their best year ever.

The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has proven to be little more than a temporary setback to the conversion of formerly sleepy beachfront communities into the Las Vegas of the Deep South.

Although affordable housing is scarce and businesses have trouble getting insurance coverage to rebuild since the storm, 11 casinos are open in Biloxi, Gulfport, Bay St. Louis and Lakeshore. Two are under or nearing construction and there's talk of more coming.

"A lot of businesses haven't reopened and aren't going to reopen," said Pat Probst, a security supervisor at Beau Rivage casino in Biloxi. "The casinos are probably the only thing that has kept our economy going."

On U.S. 90 there is not one working gasoline pump. Only a handful of non-casino restaurants have reopened.

Along a highway once known for stores hawking beachwear and souvenirs, only one outlet caters to tourists looking to lie on the white Gulf sands, a chief attraction before gambling began in 1992. The others have been demolished or are storm-shattered shells.

Gili Ovakanin, comptroller of Surf Style, said the summer season was slow. Still, he's not discouraged.

"We have a lot of faith in the city of Biloxi," he said. "We believe it's going to come back and be better than it was before."

The 12 casinos operating along the Coast two years ago were no match for Katrina. At the time state law required the gambling part of the resorts to be on barges in the water.

In a special session called quickly after the storm, the state Legislature voted to let coastal casinos build on shore.

"A lot of the casinos, more than half, said that if they had to come back on the water, they wouldn't have reopened," said Beverly Martin, executive director of the Mississippi Casino Operators Association. "It affected their insurance."

So far casino companies have spent $1.7 billion rebuilding along the Coast. And new projects are in store.

Harrah's Entertainment has started the largest post-Katrina project with its $700 million Margaritaville Casino & Resort scheduled to open in 2010 in Biloxi.

Torguson Gaming Group hopes to break ground later this year on its $600 million Bacaran Bay resort in Biloxi, projected to open in 2009, with a casino, 459-room hotel and 663 condominiums.

The casinos currently employ 17,000 people. About 70 percent of the 10,000 hotel rooms available on the Coast are at casino resorts. Each casino is averaging 5,000 visitors per day, matching pre-Katrina figures, Martin said.

According to the Mississippi State Tax Commission, coastal casinos took in $124.7 million in gambling revenue in July, up from $101.7 million in July 2005, the month before Katrina. For the first eight months of 2007, the casinos have won $887 million from gamblers, up from $863.5 million for the first eight months of 2004, the last full year before Katrina.

At that rate, the casinos are in line to better 2004, their best year ever, when gamblers left behind $1.23 billion.

Like their resort counterparts elsewhere, the Mississippi casinos are pushing non-gambling amenities such as golf courses, spas, restaurants and meeting and entertainment venues. Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, said the split between gambling and non-gambling revenue for coastal casinos is about 65-35 percent and headed more toward the non-gambling side.

"I could see them becoming the Atlantic City of the South," said Andy Holtmann, editor of the Las Vegas-based Casino Journal, a trade publication. "There's a lot of other markets expanding, but the prospects for them are solid."

The next step will be to boost other tourist attractions.

There are 20 golf courses in the area. More than 70 events, many of them major entertainment acts, have been staged at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum this year. And the region hopes to attract a major theme park operator within the next five years.

"That will be attractive to families who come here to do gaming part of the time, but want to do more than that," Sanderson said.

There are signs that recovery for the rest of the Mississippi coastal economy is on the way, albeit not as quickly as casinos.

In an August report, the business council pointed to 30,000 building permits issued, a 61 percent increase in retail sales since 2004 and $343 million in planned military projects.

But the council said obtaining affordable property insurance remains a barrier to business and although there were 3,000 homes on the market in the region, the average $168,000 price "fails to meet the demand for affordable work force housing."

Katrina severely damaged or destroyed 70,000 homes in Mississippi, including at least 8,600 rental units.

Curt Chapman, a Biloxi insurance agent, said rates for wind coverage have increased about 90 percent for homeowners and 200 percent for businesses.

Housing initially was a scramble for the 3,800 employees of Beau Rivage, an MGM Mirage Inc. property that reopened exactly a year after the storm and a $550 million rebuilding project. Some employees have moved inland and others are commuting from nearby Alabama, said Mary Cracchiolo, the casino's spokeswoman.

The casino association's Martin said talks are under way for up to seven more casinos, probably two of which will come to fruition within three to five years. Casino Journal's Holtmann said there's probably enough market for three or four more over the next few years.

The market is nowhere near done, said Gregory, of the casino commission.

"There are too many people knocking on the door," he said.

[Red UM Rebel]

Millions of Dollars Being Spent on Improvements Around Busy Airport


LINK (http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/GCNnewsAirportExpansionCompletionNears101007.htm)

By Keith Burton - GCN 10/10/07

Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport officials and tenants are excited over a new cargo facility and the completion of the construction on the terminal expansion that should be finished by month's end.

Anyone flying in and out of the Gulfport/-Biloxi International Airport will note that construction on the new and expanded terminal is rapidly nearing completion. The airport overall has been undergoing a $50 million expansion that actually began prior to Hurricane Katrina, but was substantially setback by the hurricane when the existing work on the terminal was badly damaged.

In addition to the new terminal, there is a $10 million, 46,000-square foot cargo building that will offer 20,000 square feet of chilled space when it is opened in February.

The terminal expansion doubles the size of the busy airport, which is expected to be able to handle 2.4 million passengers a year.

Overall, the property around the airport is seeing more than $300 million in investments that include a new tower, two hotels, a business center, a new car rental center and several restaurants. There are also new cargo and general aviation ramps under construction.

Later this year, a $15 million parking garage will be built to double the parking space. Even with all of the construction, including some additional parking built since Katrina, finding a parking place at the airport often means driving around a bit and walking a healthy distance to the terminal. The new garage, when finished, should help reduce the parking problem for a while.

The airport offers 10 nonstop destinations on seven commercial airlines. Officials hope to add more carriers in the near future.

The $50 million terminal expansion will bring the following services to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport:

• Seven jet gates and two ground-loading gates, with an eighth jet gate to be added in 2008.

• Larger baggage area with two new large baggage conveyors with space for a third, this is in addition to the original two conveyors.

• Expanded passenger screening area with multiple security lanes, as well as a more spacious terminal entry l lobby.

• New rental car reservation counters.

• New airline ticket counters with space for two more airlines.

• USO lounge for servicemen and women.

• VIP lounge to be constructed in 2008.

• New airside/landside gift shop, bookstore and four restaurant concessions.

• Two business centers with free Wi-Fi and work stations.

• Three covered vehicle lanes in front of the terminal.

• Three covered commercial ground-transportation lanes.

Even with all of the improvements at the airport, officials are already anticipating further expansions of the airport that will be needed for future traffic.

The airport was first constructed in 1942 to train flight crews for WWII; it was transferred to the city of Gulfport in 1949. Biloxi and Gulfport formed the regional authority in 1977.

[Red UM Rebel]

LINK (http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/GCNnewsKatrinaBlxOSbridgeNearsOpening100807.htm)

By Keith Burton - GCN 10/8/07

Contractors working on the new Biloxi-Ocean Springs bridge are on schedule to meet their November 1 partial opening. The road bed for the north lanes, which will open first, is complete across Back Bay and the south lanes are moving well ahead for the bridge's full opening in April.

The contractor on the $338.6 million ten lane bridge could actually open the bridge slightly ahead of schedule, but no change in the actual opening date has been announced.

GC Constructors, a joint venture of the firms Massman Construction Company, Kansas City, Missouri; Kiewit Southern Company, Peachtree City, Georgia; and Traylor Brothers, Inc.; Evansville, Indiana, is performing the work. The company also was charged with removing the old bridge.

The bridge remains with its sharp curve on its western side leading into Biloxi, but the curve was designed with a greater radius than the previous bridge. The bridge also rises from its much higher base to its full height of 95 feet, which is nearly 50 feet higher than the former bridge. Coast area economic development officials wanted a draw span on the new bridge, but Mississippi Department of Transportation officials decided that 95 feet would be enough to accommodate most vessels passing underneath.

The Bridge will have a total of six traffic lanes as well as pull-off lanes and a walkway for pedestrian and bike traffic when it is finished, but only two lanes are expected to open next initially.

Also, the bridge was designed with esthetics in mind. The bridge is being painted a color scheme that adds to the appearance of the bridge. There will also be decorative art on the bridge as well as decorative lighting.

While progress on the bridge has gone well since construction began, MDOT was initially criticized for the initial slow progress of getting a contractor and beginning the work on bridge, which is seen as among the most critical elements for the Coast's Katrina recovery.

A big bridge opening party is being planned for the event in November by the cities of Biloxi and Ocean Springs.

Harrison County county lost both of its key bridges on U.S. 90. from Katrina. The bridge on the west end of U.S. 90 to the city of Bay St. Louis opened partially this past May. It was was to be completely finished in November, but a change in the bridge lighting resulted in a two month delay.

(Pictures from GCN Also)

Bridge nearing partial completion

http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/Katrina/BiloxiOSbridgeOct07.jpg



Former US 90 Bridge after Katrina

http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/Katrina/BiloxiBridgeMarch.jpg

[Red UM Rebel]

When I have some free time, I scour the web looking for different designs and plans. Right now my goal is to find a picture of either one of the D'Iberville developments or the Bayview Ventures original design. I was looking through an architects' profile, and I found this one on the Treasure Bay. It is dated 3 years ago, but anyone familiar with the market might enjoy this sketch. I wish the Treasure Bay would look so good!

Link To Page (http://www.dalearch.com/portfolio/hospitality/hosp_7.html)

http://www.dalearch.com/portfolio/hospitality/treasurebay_1.jpg

[Red UM Rebel]

By ANITA LEE
calee@sunherald.com


LINK (http://www.sunherald.com/casinos/story/167663.html)


BILOXI --The city should align its zoning regulations with a state law passed in 2006 that allows casinos to move off the water and locate 800 feet inland for protection from storms, two representatives of developers told the Planning Commission on Thursday.

Attorney Michael Cavanaugh and property manager John Ed Ainsworth said the zoning would offer direction to landowners and potential developers.

"It's beneficial to us," said Ainsworth, who represents the Gollott and Weems families, owners of current and potential casino sites on the Mississippi Sound and Back Bay. "We think it's also beneficial to Biloxi."

Cavanaugh, who represents numerous casino developers, reviewed with commissioners a map that showed waterfront zones, where casinos are located, extended 800 feet inland from mean high tide.

Biloxi's casino zones don't take into account the change in law. Casino zoning follows the waterfront, with much of the surrounding property zoned residential and commercial. However, few if any property owners have built back in these areas overwhelmed by Katrina.

The city has been reviewing casino zoning proposals on an individual basis.

"We've had half a dozen of these since the storm," Cavanaugh said after the meeting. "Instead of doing the waterfront piecemeal, a block at a time, just redo the entire waterfront where it's already zoned (for casinos) at the water's edge."

The two stressed to commissioners that they are not proposing an expansion of current casino zones to include the sand beach, a contentious proposal recently nixed by Mayor A.J. Holloway for the old Tivoli Hotel property across from the Mississippi Sound.

[Velastor]

Sadly Treasure Bay was never a cash cow casino, so the money needed for that project to go forward wasn't accumlated in time before Katrina hit, new management was hired and the pirate theme replaced with the new Romantic theme. I don't believe we will ever see Treasure Bay look like that.

Would be amazing if some other developer picked up the Spanish Themed building and used it for a casino. I would just hope they would remove the boat in the front to remove confusion with the existing Treasure Bay.

While typing this up I thought of a name they could use as well. La Isabella or some other spanish word that flows off the tongue well, as long as it isn't mis huevos :P


Side Note: The forums are alive again!! WOOT :yes:

[Red UM Rebel]

They have invested all of that capital in reopening the building across the street that it will be a long time before anything of any significance is built on that property. The only think I could see possible is it being bought and then something established across the street. I do like your name idea, and it was good to hear from you Velastor