Hardrock Will Expand
 

Looks as though Hardrock got there wish after all. I for one, did not care to see some small or out of place development in the heart of Biloxi's historic downtown district.

Now if we could get them and the Beau to work together on a walk way so people can get out of that wonderful 100 degree weather in the summer.

Non Gaming Attractions
 

http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/GCNnews...tion042408.htm

http://www.infinitysciencecenter.org/highbw/main.htm

http://www.islandstrikz.com/


Expect additional attractions at Gulf Islands Waterpark over the next couple of years. In an earlier email, management at the park told me that a new attraction was possible for this year and that they are here for the long haul and expect to compete with Blue Bayou waterpark in Baton Rouge. As conditions continues to improve, I'm hopeful that SixFlags Inc. will commit to rebuilding the New Orleans Gulf Regional theme park.

http://www.gulfislandswaterpark.com/


Now what we need is something similar to a Celebration Station. An ideal location would be near Edgewater mall on the site of the former United Artist Theatre.

http://www.celebrationstation.com/

http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite...&PgCxtDir=Down


I'm also hopeful that Marine Life and an aquarium will be rebuilt on the coast. Before Katrina, the J. L. Scott aquarium in Biloxi was about to undergo a $76 million expansion with more than 700,000 gallons of marine exhibits which was also designed by Dale & Associates. Maybe they could be combined and emilate the John C. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

http://www.danheller.com/images/Unit...show/img7.html

Yesterday, I emailed Mr. Drake Leddy of the Ocean Club development to voice my disaproval of his consideration of adding a casino to the site. I suggested that he instead build the second condo tower as the market dictates and the third tower as a hotel. I also suggested that he partner with a well known and proven hotelier such as the Omni Group. The following is his reply.

Dear Mr. ?????:

What is interesting is that we are exploring a hotel on the Phase 3 Parcel at Ocean Club. We have not totally put away any thought of a Casino on the Phase 2 site, but we are not actively pursuing that option and are actively looking at a variety of land uses. So it seems more likely than not that someone is listening to your prayers.

Drake


http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel...iBayfront.aspx

http://www.oceanclubatbiloxi.com/

It seems a lot of the old condo plans are being slowly converting into hotel rooms. I think the best bet would be for them to shoot for around either 80% hotel and 20% condo or 90/10....Either way I see hotels as being a much easier sell than a condo on the coast.

I agree Velastor. Since there still is such a huge hotel room deficit compared to before the storm, I think hotels are far more important than condos right now.

Bacaran Bay
 

The Bacaran Bay website has been updated!

www.bacaranbay.com

Lets just hope it doesn't take this new company 5+ years to get it off the ground.

:previous:

We can only hope. I would still be skeptical though...

Pine Street Development
 

Posted on Tue, Apr. 29, 2008
Pushing Pine Street
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI -- Hurricane Katrina wiped out the mostly residential Pine Street neighborhood in East Biloxi. Now the property owners are looking for developers to rebuild the area with restaurants, shops and entertainment venues.
One of the properties is a five-acre lot just north of Fifth Street where Tom Brosig envisions four or five restaurants like Wolfgang Puck's. "That quality, that level" of branded, recognizable restaurants, said attorney Michael Cavanaugh, who is representing the neighbors.

The location is just north of the Grand Biloxi and Margaritaville casinos, west of the Palace and Isle of Capri casinos and south of the casinos on the bay - "right in the middle of everything," said Cavanaugh. If the residents, who have formed the Pine Street Development Committee, and developers can create a zone and define it as a tourist destination, "It will draw people there," he said, "especially if it's a loop street."

Pine Street is the last leg of the Casino Loop in East Biloxi, which already connects Beach Boulevard on the south to Caillavet on the west to Bayview on the north. The city has budgeted $750,000 to complete the loop, and Cavanaugh said Pine Street is the closest road that can be a thoroughfare, since all the land to the edge of Pine is already zoned waterfront or could be.

Cavanaugh also represented several of the Pine Street neighbors who last year banded together to have their collective properties zoned waterfront. That zoning is necessary for a casino site and also permits hotels, shopping and multifamily housing.

"It's very preliminary," Cavanaugh said of the plans he showed to the Biloxi Planning Commission recently. Similar to the Oak Street neighbors, who are working together to determine how they want their street to redevelop, the Pine Street neighbors decided to chart their own destiny. They have identified "this is where and what we think will work."

The property owners are mixed nationalities, including some Vietnamese, and they see a mixed use for their neighborhood with some housing but mostly commercial. "They're talking about duplexes, townhouses and lofts," said Cavanaugh.

With Harrah's planning to widen sections of U.S. 90 for Margaritaville Casino, now may be the time to complete Pine Street, Cavanaugh said, and the neighbors would like it to be a boulevard with trees in the center.

There are a lot of developers out there who want to build and invest in Biloxi, and Cavanaugh said that by creating this plan, "It makes the developer understand that you have willing landowners."

Property owners on Pine Street in East Biloxi have created a vision for their neighborhood and now are looking for developers to make it happen. They propose shops, restaurants and entertainment that will draw visitors to the neighborhood.


http://www.sunherald.com/278/story/520827.html

The Return of Beachfront Restaurants
 

Yesterday I noticed heavy equipment moving dirt on beachfront property between Treasure Bay and the site of the proposed Shores of Paradise. Hopefully it's another national chain restaurant. Nevertheless, it's a sign of continued progress on Biloxi's beachfront. A contract for the new beach boardwalk was awarded today.


Posted on Thu, May. 01, 2008
Hooters coming back to beachfront
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI -- Hooters will return to Beach Boulevard and other restaurants could follow.
RW Development has submitted plans for a 6,500-square-foot Hooters restaurant to be built on the northwest corner of U.S. 90 and Althea Street, across from the Sea Breeze condominiums. Community Development Director Jerry Creel expects a construction permit to be signed in the next week to 10 days.

"We have been asked for some information from some other restaurants wanting to locate in the South Biloxi area," but Creel said it is too early to name the restaurants.

Hooters is one of the first restaurants other than Waffle House, McDonald's and casino restaurants to return to the Biloxi beachfront since Hurricane Katrina.

There are more than 400 Hooters restaurants in the country. The chain is known for its waitresses and its chicken wings and also serves hamburgers, steaks and seafood.

Creel said Hooters didn't require any zoning change or variances and green space will be provided all around the perimeter of the building. It will be west of RW Development's South Beach complex under construction on U.S. 90.

When the Biloxi Planning Commission meets today at 2 p.m., only two items are on the agenda. After recent meetings that have run more than three hours, Creel said this is a welcome break but not a sign building requests are slowing.

"We don't think people are pulling back," said Creel. "I'm sure we'll make up for it on the 15th," when the next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled.

"We get calls every day," from prospective developers, Creel said, and after a list of projects with expired permits ran in the Sun Herald, Creel said two developers contacted him with plans to ask for an extension.


http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/GCNnews...More050508.htm

Target Announcement
 

Construction to finally begin on the long awaited retail development that will bring the first of two Targets to the coast. The names of the eleven anchors have yet to be named but the city of D'Iberville recently approved waivers for two Target signs. The two developing partners are major players in the retail industry. Officials say that the 72 acres could eventually expand to 125 acres because nearby property owners have signed on to be included in the development. The other Target is slated for a retail development in Gulfport at Hwy 605 and Dedeaux Road off I-10. :banana:


Posted on Fri, May. 02, 2008
Make room for The Promenade
By MICHAEL A. BELL
mbell@sunherald.com


D'IBERVILLE -- A shopping center packed with major retailers and larger than the Gulfport's Crossroads is coming.
Construction on The Promenade, a 700,000-square-foot "power center," begins this month on 72 acres near interstates 10 and 110, according to a news release.

"Certainly it demonstrates that though the national economy is slowing, the economy in South Mississippi is not," said City Manager Richard Rose, adding the center would create more than 1,000 jobs and increase sales-tax revenue.

Rose said a confidentiality agreement prohibits him from disclosing the businesses that have signed on. However, CBL & Associates, co-developer of The Promenade, has built several shopping centers across the country with Targets as anchors.

The company is one of the largest real estate investment trusts in the country, with developments in 27 states. Promenade will feature 11 anchors and more than 80,000 square feet of specialty shops and restaurants.

Katie Reinsmidt with CBL said whenever the company eyes a market, it looks at demographic trendsetters, opportunities for growth, among other factors.

"We found the right formula with D'Iberville."

The project will benefit from tax-exempt bond funding through the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act legislation, or GO Zone, which is designed to encourage development in hurricane-affected areas.

CBL is partnering with Atlanta-based Forum Development Group to develop Promenade.

Larry Barnett, executive director of the Harrison County Development Commission, said the center would provide a better quality of life for Coast residents, and draw tourists.

"People will stop and shop and that creates sales tax dollars," he said, "and that's good for our community."


http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/GCNnews...ille050208.htm

Major New Shopping Complex to be Built in D'Iberville
 

Another article on Promenade (BLX link)

by Keith Burton - GCN 5/2/08

There will soon be a major new shopping center in D'Iberville packed with major retailers, restaurants and larger than the Crossroads Shopping Center in Gulfport.

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. and Forum Development Group, LLC (“Forum”) announced this week the acquisition of approximately 72.0 acres in D’Iberville for the development of The Promenade, a 700,000 square foot shopping center complex. (Photo right: Promenade property looking southeast near I-110 and I-10)

The Promenade will feature eleven anchors and more than 80,000 square feet of specialty shops and restaurants. The project is a joint venture of CBL and Forum with CBL as the majority partner responsible for development, leasing and management. Construction will begin this month with a grand opening scheduled for fall 2009. The new shopping center is to the west of the busy Super Wal-Mart and Lowe's in D'Iberville.

“Following the destruction and setback that the Mississippi Gulf Coast suffered from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, we believe The Promenade will serve to revitalize the area and create a much needed retail hub and service district for the D’Iberville community,” said Stephen Lebovitz, president of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. "In large part due to the support of the city’s outstanding leadership, including Mayor Rusty Quave, City Manager Richard Rose and the entire City Council, together with the efforts of our joint venture partner

Construction on the Promenade, begins this month on 72 acres near interstates 10 and 110 along the empty land bounded to the south by Bobby Elueterius Blvd.

"This demonstrates again why D'Iberville will be the Coast's retail shopping destination of the future," said City Manager Richard Rose.

The new shopping center, which will include several major big box retailers, is expected to add more than 1,000 jobs to the area and increase sales-tax revenue for the small city to Biloxi's north.

Rose would not reveal to GCN what retailers are planned, but CBL & Associates, the co-developer of The Promenade, has built several shopping centers across the country with Target stores as anchors.

Rose tells GCN that major changes are coming also for the roadways around the new shopping center. He said the city and the developers have have met frequently with Southern District Highway Commissioners Wayne Brown and MDOT engineers. "We have an excellent working relationship with MDOT," Rose said.

What is planned is to tear down the motel that is immediately to the west of I-110 across from Sangani Blvd. and build a new road to serve the Promenade. The Kangaroo gas station just to the north of the motel is to remain, says Rose.

The new road will be five lanes. Sangani Blvd. itself is to be widened to five lanes starting in January. The Promenade property will also be served by Bobby Eleuterius Blvd. to the south.

Rose says the increased commercial traffic will require some changes to the I-110/I-10 interchange. While Rose didn't say exactly what those changes would be, he said that they will include some additional lanes along the I-110 near Sangani Blvd. There could also be some changes on how people get on and off the interchange, which many drivers know is one of the most dangerous interstate interchanges on the Coast.

LINK

Did construction slow down a bit on the Margaritaville Casino or is just hard to notice the work they are doing from the Camera angles?

Any more news on the Isle's expasion? We are still anxiously waiting to see what they have planned.

Although the doors couldn't open soon enough, construction at Margaritaville's site is continuing to move at a brisk pace.


Still no updated news regarding the Isle's expansion plans. Last week all of the corporate boardmembers were staying on property holding conferences.

Hard Rock and Beau Rivage
 

I went to both this weekend from about 9 pm - very early in morning, and they were both packed the entire time. I am hoping revenue numbers won't drop for the coast durning this weak spot in the economy because it will only enforce the strength of the Coast's market. How has Isle been BLX?

You guys ought to dupe most of your future topics in this thread in the South forum since there is a pretty good active group of posters all along the Gulf Coast and I think it all fits together pretty well. More people might notice more often and join in (if that interests you guys).

Weekends at the Isle is always busy. Marketing has been doing a great job in creating and advertising new promotions for cash and prize giveaways. There has been more poker turnaments lately as well.

On an unrelated subject, to my surprise this evening as I passed by the Avalon site, I noticed that wooden braces have been installed and the internal metal framing of the second level appeared to be complete. The latest news regarding the Avalon was that they were going back to the planning commission to request variances for a hotel instead of a condo. I was present and at the beginning of the meeting it was announced that the developers had asked at the last minute that the request be pulled from the agenda, I guess that they have decided to go with the original condo plans. In order for the project to be changed into a hotel, they would have to request another hearing before the planning commission then seek approval from the council, I don't recall that happening.


http://avalonbiloxi.com/

Ip Restaurant Bows To The East
 

Tien Asian offers both food and fantasy
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

BILOXI --In the space that used to be a movie theater, IP Casino Resort today premieres Tien Asian restaurant.

Guests enter the second-floor restaurant through a fog curtain with the Tien logo projected in the haze. Waiting to serve them, four hostesses in authentic kimonos lead guests beyond the bar and lounge with its saltwater fish tanks, past the cases displaying the fresh meat and fish shipped in daily from Hawaii and Japan, alongside the display cases illuminating antique saki vessels, to the dining room with windows overlooking the bay.

Tien is the centerpiece of a $55 million expansion that includes the adjacent casino room with 600 slots, 10 table games and a video poker bar with a view, "our first foray into land-based gaming," said IP General Manager Jon Lucas. The casino opens today with a 7 p.m. ribbon-cutting and after a private party at Tien tonight, the restaurant opens to the public at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Depending on their dinner choice, guests are seated at the 20-person sushi bar with its ever-changing mood wall projecting colors, or a table in the main dining room where the yin and yang circles on the ceiling are mimicked on the floor, or one of four Shabu-Shabu and Korean barbecue tables, or the sizzling Teppanyaki tables where chefs prepare their dinner, or in the private dining room decorated with brass bamboo and a wall of floating Asian artifacts.

A communal table accommodates singles in a hurry to get back onto the casino floor. "They were everywhere in Shanghai," said Stephen Morgan, vice president of food and beverage, who traveled to Shanghai, China, with IP Executive Chef Chris Poplin and with an interpreter visited restaurants and fish markets.

"I went back to culinary school after 22 years to prepare for the opening of the restaurant," said Morgan. He and Poplin attended the Culinary Institute of America's Asian boot camp and they, along with Lucas, Director of Food and Beverage Kurt Lind and Tien Manager Nancy Nelson, went to San Francisco to sample the Asian restaurants "and brought the best here," Morgan said. Chef Terou Kinoshitu has worked all over Japan and the United States and brings 30 years of experience.

"We've been working on these menus for a long time, getting ideas and flavors," said Poplin. Six menus written in English, Chinese and Vietnamese start with an "exciting wine list," said Morgan, along with 13 specialty Asian cocktails such as mandarin Margarita and passion fruit Mai Tai. "We serve a flight of three different sakis in a taster tray," he said.

Tien, which means fortune, good luck and prosperity, offers traditional and popular dishes from China, Vietnam, Japan and Korea. "We designed the menu so they can come to the restaurant and eat six times and not have the same experience," said Morgan. Sharing plates is encouraged.

Guests can stick with the familiar General Tso's chicken and other westernized dishes or opt for authentic Asian cuisine that blends the freshest meats and vegetables. New to this area, Korean barbecue is marinated meat thinly sliced and served with vegetables and "very tasty, very good and also very healthy," said Lucas.

Appetizers and combination plates such as steak and shrimp are dramatically prepared at the Teppanyaki tables, and Tien dinners come with soup and salad, vegetables and rice. "Little teasers," Dim Sum dumplings are presented in steamer baskets, said Morgan, and "the desserts are awesome."

When the sushi bar closes, the noodle bar opens for late night. "Basically you customize your own noodle bowl," said Poplin. Selecting from Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese noodles, two meats or seafood, four vegetables and broth, "there's thousands of variations," he said.

As Tien restaurant and the adjoining casino open, IP Casino has more to come, said Lucas. "We want to get 100 percent land-based," and the resort's master plan includes a hotel tower, shops and more convention space.

LINK

Looks much better than the Beau's Asian restaurant. The Beau might want to watch out before they get passed as the number 1 casino. All the Ip lacks is more hotel, convention space and time to get everything moved off that barge and onto land.