HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Global Projects & Construction > City Compilations


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #161  
Old Posted Feb 11, 2007, 1:28 PM
fla_tiger's Avatar
fla_tiger fla_tiger is offline
TIGERS NATIONAL CHAMPS
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Miami/Baton Rouge
Posts: 1,905
NASA's Michoud New Orleans promises to turn Louisiana into a hotbed of spacecraft-related assembly

Employment now at 2000, will increase as the Michoud Assembly Facility is retrofitted for its multitasking role in producing the next generation of NASA's spacecraft

link to the story in the TP- http://www.nola.com/business/t-p/ind...680.xml&coll=1

This summer the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will choose a company to build the rocket for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, a manned space capsule that will take astronauts to the moon and perhaps on to Mars.

Work on the Ares I rocket -- which will be assembled locally at the Michoud Assembly Facility -- promises to aid the economic recovery of eastern New Orleans by preserving hundreds of high-paying jobs as the facility's work on the space shuttle program begins to wind down. The Ares I, just one of many projects that will be under way at Michoud in the coming decade, also signals a step toward NASA's new plan for the facility.

By 2016, NASA expects to have transformed Michoud from a site that concentrates on assembling one spacecraft component under the direction of a primary government contractor to one that is working on multiple projects for the space agency simultaneously and possibly under the direction of several different contractors, said Patrick Scheuermann, Michoud's chief operating officer.

NASA has already determined that in addition to Ares I, all of the spacecraft in the so-called Constellation program, which encompasses a fleet of next-generation launch vehicles, will be assembled at Michoud.

Designating Michoud as a primary spacecraft assembly site saves NASA money by relieving each of its contractors of the costs of maintaining individual assembly plants.

The move also promises to turn Louisiana into a hotbed of spacecraft-related assembly as NASA contractors and subcontractors migrate to the area.

The Michoud plant has been part of the space program since 1961, when NASA began producing the Saturn booster rocket there. For the past 30 years the Michoud plant, under the direction of Lockheed Martin, has concentrated on building external fuels tanks for the space shuttle.

This year the Michoud plant will ship out five tanks, the most it has delivered in a decade, Scheuermann said. For the past several years Michoud has shipped about three tanks a year. But NASA plans to phase out the shuttle, and Michoud's work on the external fuel tank is expected to wind down by 2010.

Still, NASA officials say the agency's presence in the metro area is here to stay, despite the city's post-Hurricane Katrina obstacles. Last week 120 NASA managers came to New Orleans for a quarterly meeting on the Constellation program, and about half of them visited Michoud, where workers already are making improvements to the site so that it will be ready for the new projects it is expected to house, Scheuermann said.

The plant was damaged by Katrina's wind and rain but stayed dry during the hurricane thanks to a dedicated group of staffers who stayed behind, plus a diesel-powered pump station that kept the buildings and surrounding land dry. Michoud workers are now installing stronger roofs on buildings to better withstand storms, planning a second pump to keep the plant dry in case of another major hurricane, and preparing the factory for its first refitting in decades.

The Orion crew vehicle and the Ares I rocket will be the first of the new projects worked on at Michoud, but the Constellation program also involves other spacecraft and a successor rocket known as the Ares V.

Michoud now employs 2,000 people.

the sprawling 832 acre complex located in New Orleans East






NASA is located off I-10 and I-510 in New Orleans East


http://www.lockheedmartin.com/michoud/

Last edited by fla_tiger; Feb 11, 2007 at 1:36 PM.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #162  
Old Posted Feb 11, 2007, 1:35 PM
fla_tiger's Avatar
fla_tiger fla_tiger is offline
TIGERS NATIONAL CHAMPS
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Miami/Baton Rouge
Posts: 1,905
Quote:
Originally Posted by colemonkee View Post
The St. Raymond Residences look great!! Where in relation to downtown will those be going?
These will be located near the Mississippi River in west-suburban Jefferson, approximately 5 miles from the CBD.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #163  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2007, 11:40 AM
fla_tiger's Avatar
fla_tiger fla_tiger is offline
TIGERS NATIONAL CHAMPS
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Miami/Baton Rouge
Posts: 1,905
the St. Raymond

I like the looks of the two buildings. Now they appear to be 40 and 49 floors in height (not counting the frames).

Reply With Quote
     
     
  #164  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2007, 12:16 PM
fla_tiger's Avatar
fla_tiger fla_tiger is offline
TIGERS NATIONAL CHAMPS
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Miami/Baton Rouge
Posts: 1,905
930 Poydras Tower

37-story tower pegged for CBD

Developer Brian Gibbs has acquired a parking lot at the corner of Poydras and O'Keefe streets and plans to build a 37-story residential tower on the site.

Doing business as 930 Poydras LLC, Brian Gibbs Development LLC and his father's firm, Gibbs Construction LLC, combined known as the Gibbs Family Trust, paid $3.12 million for the land and plans to spend $60.7 million planning and building the tower.

The site is situated on the upriver, riverside corner of the intersection and is across the street from 909 Poydras St., the former LL&E office tower.

The project will create 300 construction jobs, and construction could begin in May and wrap up by December 2008.

Although renderings were not released, the project calls for 37 stories, the first eight floors of which will be devoted to 509 parking spaces. A narrower tower would rise from the ninth floor, the roof of which will hold a large pool. Townhouses will cover the broader garage roof. The 10th floor and 11th floors of the tower are actually a glass-enclosed tenant lounge with some apartments beginning on the 11th floor.

The 10th floor also would have two-story townhouses along the riverside edge.

Beginning at the 11th floor, 27 stories would be built containing nine apartments each. A 38th floor is a roof-party lounge for tenants.

The area has no height limitations.

Also planned is 6,000 square feet of street-level retail. The garage entrance and exit will be on O'Keefe, and a pedestrian exit will be located at Poydras.

The architect for the project is Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, and the general contractor will be Gibbs Construction.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #165  
Old Posted Feb 27, 2007, 1:39 AM
fla_tiger's Avatar
fla_tiger fla_tiger is offline
TIGERS NATIONAL CHAMPS
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Miami/Baton Rouge
Posts: 1,905
2006 Top Ten projects total $9.2 billion.

New Orleans City Business magazine is running a series of stories highlighting the Top Ten construction projects in the region for 2006.
The Top Ten projects alone total $9.2 Billion dollars.
That's BILLION! This is an unprecedented amount, never previously reached in the region. In fact there have been decades where this level of construction has never been reached, and is an amount greater than most states. All of the projects are now in progress, or will begin this year. These will continue to spur much additional construction in the city and region.

The Top Ten projects and links:
1. Task Force Hope In 2007, the Corps begins the $5.7-billion Task Force Hope effort to bring regional flood protection up to 100-year storm standards by 2010. Projects include levee and floodwall upgrades and permanent pumping stations and floodgates.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.co...fm?recID=18277

2. Louisiana Highway 1, Work has begun on the first phase of a $1.4-billion project to upgrade and elevate Louisiana Highway 1 between US90, future I-49 and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) on the coast.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.co...fm?recID=18279

3. I-10 Twin Spans, between New Orleans and its Northshore and Gulf Coast suburbs, At $803 million, the largest public works project ever let by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.co...fm?recID=18283

4. Orleans Parish Schools, $776 million master plan to rebuild the city's public schools.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.co...fm?recID=18287

5. Huey P. Long Bridge, The $705 million project is being let in four phases: Phase I, main support widening; Phase 2, railroad modifications; Phase III, main bridge truss widening; and Phase IV, construction of new approaches and signalized intersections to replace the traffic circles at Jefferson Highway and at Bridge City.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.co...fm?recID=18291

6. Joint Forces Military complex, a multiphase reconstruction project under way will include renovations and new construction of federal and state military facilities at Jackson Barracks, a new Joint Forces HQ's, new readiness centers, among others.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.co...fm?recID=18297

7. River Garden, a $318 million mixed-use development just west of the CBD.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.co...fm?recID=18301

8. National World War II Museum, a $300 million expansion project that will eventually lead to the quadrupling in size of the nation's official WWII museum.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.co...fm?recID=18309

9. I-10, the approximately $274-million project to widen the interstate from three lanes to five between Carrollton Avenue and Veterans Memorial Boulevard.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.co...fm?recID=18315

10. Northshore Marina Tower, a planned 26-story, $258-million high-rise condominium on the banks of the Slidell lakefront.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.co...fm?recID=18319
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #166  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2007, 1:00 AM
bbares81 bbares81 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 2
When are these projects actually beginning...I know Trump is June 1st, but what about Tracage, Vantage, Crescent City Tower, etc.?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #167  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2007, 3:10 PM
JROC676 JROC676 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1
Exclamation St. Raymond/ Jefferson Condos/ Senior Living

I recently read that the St. Raymond received sales tax waiver approval and it looks like things are happening at the site. I just reserved 3 condos- preconstruction pricing. Staff was helpful and not pushy which is rare in these developments. I might invest more. VERY impressive and from a life long Jefferson resident, I am thrilled that this is happening!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #168  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2007, 10:11 AM
fla_tiger's Avatar
fla_tiger fla_tiger is offline
TIGERS NATIONAL CHAMPS
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Miami/Baton Rouge
Posts: 1,905
1201 Canal Condominiums

After Hurricane Katrina shut down construction of a condominium project in the roughly 104-year-old Krauss building at 1201 Canal St., construction has resumed. The project will feature 121 apartments and roughly 119 condos. It will also feature 25,000 square feet of retail.

Completion is set for Fall of 2008.

building at prime location on historic Canal and Basin streets after renovations


http://www.1201canal.com/index.htm
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #169  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2007, 10:15 AM
fla_tiger's Avatar
fla_tiger fla_tiger is offline
TIGERS NATIONAL CHAMPS
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Miami/Baton Rouge
Posts: 1,905
Quote:
Originally Posted by bbares81 View Post
When are these projects actually beginning...I know Trump is June 1st, but what about Tracage, Vantage, Crescent City Tower, etc.?
With the exception of Vantage, all of the projects are still on track. Construction has started on several including Tracage, Falstaff, 1201 Canal, among others.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #170  
Old Posted Mar 22, 2007, 11:49 PM
fla_tiger's Avatar
fla_tiger fla_tiger is offline
TIGERS NATIONAL CHAMPS
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Miami/Baton Rouge
Posts: 1,905
Rennaissance Club Hotel/ Condominiums New Orleans World Trade Center

Even though the building is dated and unsightly, the building should not be torn down. This is a long overdue project to "remake" one of New Orleans landmark buildings.

A New York firm was chosen Wednesday to redevelop the New Orleans World Trade Center into 250 residences and a 130-room Renaissance Club Sport Hotel by Marriott. The $160 million project will also involve development of an international cultural museum and the conversion of Spanish Plaza into a public entertainment area.

The World Trade Center is at the foot of Canal Street in downtown New Orleans.

a view of the New Orleans World Trade Center taken from the Riverwalk.


....renderings will be posted when available.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #171  
Old Posted Mar 29, 2007, 10:09 PM
djp4lsu djp4lsu is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 14
All these condo projects are great for the redeveolpment in New Orleans, but it seems like all they are building are condos. I wonder where all the people that will live in these projects will work as more office buildings become condos?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #172  
Old Posted Apr 16, 2007, 5:12 PM
Scruffy's Avatar
Scruffy Scruffy is offline
low-riding
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Bronx
Posts: 1,966
Quote:
Originally Posted by fla_tiger View Post
the St. Raymond

I like the looks of the two buildings. Now they appear to be 40 and 49 floors in height (not counting the frames).

Im not trying to be improper but my first opinion when i see this is that its already been damaged in high winds with shattered windows. perhaps not the best look for the area.
__________________
My name is Steve
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #173  
Old Posted Apr 16, 2007, 9:32 PM
gmg1981 gmg1981 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans, LA
Posts: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by fla_tiger View Post
With the exception of Vantage, all of the projects are still on track. Construction has started on several including Tracage, Falstaff, 1201 Canal, among others.
What are the plans for the Falstaff building? It looks like they have gutted the building but nothing else.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #174  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2007, 9:21 PM
fla_tiger's Avatar
fla_tiger fla_tiger is offline
TIGERS NATIONAL CHAMPS
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Miami/Baton Rouge
Posts: 1,905
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmg1981 View Post
What are the plans for the Falstaff building? It looks like they have gutted the building but nothing else.
hot off the press, as reported in todays NO City Business:

$20M Falstaff apartment project receives financing
CityBusiness staff report
April 17, 2007 8:21 AM
NEW ORLEANS - Plans to covert the former Falstaff beer brewery into affordable housing took a major step forward last week with the securing of project financing.

"The project is definitely happening," said developer David Miller.
In a project expected to cost at least $20 million, Miller plans to build 156
apartments in the Falstaff complex, just outside the Central Business District.
Half will be affordable and subject to tax credit maximum rent restrictions.
Half will be market rate, meaning rent levels are unrestricted.

On the affordable side, a one-bedroom unit will rent for roughly $475, a
two-bedroom unit for $575 and a three-bedroom for $660, he said.
Miller plans to use low-income housing tax credits from the Louisiana Housing
Finance Agency to build the low-income units. The credits will provide $1.21
million annually for 10 years for a total of $12.1 million. By law, the credits can be used only to build affordable units.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #175  
Old Posted Apr 21, 2007, 1:39 AM
fla_tiger's Avatar
fla_tiger fla_tiger is offline
TIGERS NATIONAL CHAMPS
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Miami/Baton Rouge
Posts: 1,905
River Walk in Bay St Louis
1,650 units set for project along Jourdan River



COURTESY UNABRIDGED ARCHITECTURE/
This is the view of the project proposed by River Walk Inc. from the canal housing, overlooking the boathouses and boat docks. The master plan has been approved on 183 acres in north Bay St. Louis, where Washington Street meets the Jourdan River.
River Walk (April 10)

BAY ST. LOUIS --Officials have approved ambitious plans for a live-work complex along the Jourdan River, signaling continued recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the largest multistory residential development in city history.

Partners of River Walk Inc. gained city approval last week of their master plan for a 1,650-unit development on 183 acres of pastureland in north Bay St. Louis, where Washington Street meets the river. Plans call for River Walk to have townhouses, condominiums, retail spaces and live-work units.

The complex is expected to have 9.5 units per acre. Although they will vary in size, the tallest buildings will be 8 to 10 stories high, according to the development plan.

The complex will also have extensive green space, a 50-slip marina and clubhouse, restaurant, ship's store and 28 boathouses situated along a canal. Waterways will have deep-water access to the Jourdan River, canals, a lagoon and a pond.

The development will be situated on land known as Old Cazaubon Farm.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #176  
Old Posted Apr 21, 2007, 1:51 AM
hi123 hi123 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 584
Is the st raymond u/c yet ? I love it!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #177  
Old Posted Apr 28, 2007, 1:57 AM
gmg1981 gmg1981 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans, LA
Posts: 12


The New Orleans Katrina Memorial Corporation desires to construct a memorial to victims of Hurricane Katrina and a mausoleum to house the remains of unidentified and unclaimed victims of the storm on cemetery land owned by LSU located at Charity Hospital Cemetery on Canal Street and City Park Avenue in New Orleans.






Katrina Memorial Planned For Forgotten Victims
Plans For A Place To Bury 100 Unclaimed Bodies

Paul Murphy ABC26 News,

April 24, 2007, 4:56 PM CDT

NEW ORLEANS, LA — More than a year and half after Katrina, the bodies of 100 storm victims remain unclaimed with no final resting place.

They are the forgotten victims of the storm. Their bodies are now warehoused in a non-descript building near downtown New Orleans.

70-have names, 30 have yet to be identified, none have been claimed by their families.

Orleans Parish Coroner Doctor Frank Minyard says there are more bodies yet to be discovered.

"We have found 25 or 26, I believe remains in the past since last April," said Dr. Minyard. "We know this is going to keep happening because there are more people out there."

Dr. Minyard is heading up a foundation to bury the forgotten victims with dignity.

The katrina memorial would be built on the grounds of the Charity Hospital Cemetary at the end of Canal Street near City Park.

The first phase would include six mausoleum units with a total of 126 spaces.

"We have these as a community, these dead, these remains that need to be put to rest in a dignified manner," said Ted George a Katrina Memorial board member. "As long as that is undone, we have in my view an open wound that still needs to be healed."

A New Orleans psychiatrist who helped designed the Katrina Memorial wants it to include two basic elements.

He's hoping it will be a lasting reminder of how so many people died and a healing place for survivors of the storm.

"It does have sort of the overall shape if you look at it from a birds-eye view of the hurricane itself," said Dr. Jeffery Rouse. "It's also a space in which there was sort of a never ending series of circular paths in which one could walk around reflecting on what has happened."

The Katrina Memorial Corporation hopes to begin construction by the end of the year.

"That means we need to raise 600-thousand dollars before we can begin construction," said Dr. Minyard. "I would hope that we could do that right quick."

The total price tag on the project: 1.2-million dollars.

Katrina's death toll in Louisiana now stands at 1,464.

If you want to donate to the memorial log on to www.neworleanskatrinamemorial.org
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #178  
Old Posted May 2, 2007, 6:23 PM
gmg1981 gmg1981 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans, LA
Posts: 12



State, N.O. offer to buy land for veterans hospital
Downtown facility is considered a key factor in regional stability Wednesday,

May 02, 2007 By Kate Moran (Times-Picayune)

As the federal government searches the metro area for a place to build a new veterans hospital, the state and the city of New Orleans have offered to buy land west of Galvez Street to keep the facility downtown.

The city and state recently signed an agreement for the state to acquire the land -- by eminent domain if necessary -- and the city to reimburse whatever costs the Department of Veterans Affairs does not pay.

The partnership is an effort to retain the veterans hospital, an anchor of the downtown medical district, close to the Louisiana State University and Tulane medical schools and the new teaching hospital they plan to build. The old veterans hospital on Perdido Street has been closed since Katrina. The VA has been negotiating for months with LSU to build affiliated hospitals that would share laundry and laboratory services but not medical offices. That partnership seemed ready to splinter when the VA started looking in March for land anywhere in the metro area, including the suburbs, where it might build a new facility.

The city and the state have identified a possible site for the veterans hospital in the area bounded by Canal Street to the north, Tulane Avenue to the south and South Galvez and South Rocheblave streets on either side.

That parcel sits next to the 37 acres -- bounded by Canal, Tulane, Galvez and Claiborne Avenue -- where LSU plans to build a new teaching hospital to replace Charity Hospital, which closed after Katrina flooded its basement.

Mayor Ray Nagin called a news conference Tuesday afternoon to announce that the city and state had formed a partnership to keep the veterans hospital downtown, but he would not discuss key details of the plan, including where the hospital might be located or how much it might cost to buy the land.

Details about the location came from a cooperative endeavor agreement signed by the city and the state's Division of Administration -- a public document.

It was not clear from that agreement whether city and state would need to buy all 29 acres between Galvez and Rocheblave streets or only a portion of that land. Most of the property is residential.

The document says the state would acquire the property "by any means necessary" and transfer it to Veterans Affairs. It also says the city will reimburse the state for "actual costs" unless the VA kicks in money for the land.

Nagin would not discuss the potential cost of assembling small tracts of private property into a single parcel, but the state has earmarked $74 million to buy the adjacent 37 acres and hire architects to design the new LSU hospital.

Ed Blakely, the mayor's recovery czar, said the city could tap lines of credit to buy the land.

The VA recently initiated a public bidding process to identify potential plots to build the new hospital. Submissions were due by Monday, and it was not clear Tuesday whether the VA had received offers from agencies or landowners other than the city and state.

Debra Winbush, a spokeswoman for the VA in New Orleans, said the local agency did not have a list of agencies or landowners that had offered proposals and referred questions to Washington, D.C.

Nagin said other local governments supported the city in its efforts to keep the hospital in downtown New Orleans. Tom Capella, chairman of the Jefferson Parish Council, attended the news conference, as did Henry "Junior" Rodriguez, president of St. Bernard Parish.

"The growth of downtown New Orleans and the stability of the entire region relies on the continued clustered development of medical care and bioscience investment," Nagin said.

Caitlin Cain, an economic development program manager at the Regional Planning Commission, said at the news conference that her agency endorsed a resolution in March supporting the retention of the veterans hospital downtown.

Blakely said the veterans hospital should be situated in the city rather than the suburbs because the downtown area offers the best access to public transportation and the two medical schools.

Dr. Alan Miller, Tulane's associate senior vice president for health sciences, said keeping the veterans hospital downtown is "crucial for patients, faculty and the training of the future physicians of this region."

By identifying 29 acres where the VA could build its own hospital, Miller said the city is doing its best to ensure the project moves forward, whether or not the VA and LSU ever cement a partnership.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #179  
Old Posted May 2, 2007, 8:26 PM
Busy Bee's Avatar
Busy Bee Busy Bee is online now
Show me the blueprints
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: on the artistic spectrum
Posts: 10,260
I'm not sure making a hurricane memorial the shape of an actual hurricane is very tasteful. Would a Jewish Holocaust memorial look like a swastika from above?
__________________
Everything new is old again

There is no goodness in him, and his power to convince people otherwise is beyond understanding
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #180  
Old Posted May 16, 2007, 6:19 PM
drmikecmd drmikecmd is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1
Margaritaville Casino and Resort, Biloxi

Changes in attitudes
New casino is Jimmy Buffett’s endorsement of Coast’s rebirth
By MARY PEREZ

“Margaritaville Casino Resort Biloxi — I want that T-shirt,” said singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett on Tuesday as he announced the name of the $700 million casino Harrah’s Entertainment will build on Casino Row south of U.S. 90.

Construction begins this summer; the resort will open in 2010. This is the largest investment in Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina, and Phases II and III could raise the tab to more than a billion dollars. The resort will feature: A new 420-room hotel plus restoration of 378 rooms at the former Casino Magic Biloxi. 100,000 square feet of casino space. 66,000 square feet of convention space. A Margaritaville restaurant. 250,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and entertainment. Pool and spa. “It’s been a long time since I played Biloxi,” said Buffett as he sang “It’s My Job” and “Margaritaville” at the press conference at Grand Casino Biloxi, which will be separate from the new casino.

Buffett was born in Pascagoula and got his first paying gig in Biloxi. When Buffett learned Harrah’s Vice Chairman Charles Atwood also was a Pascagoula native, “I think I knew then that this was going to happen.”

In a phone conversation last week Buffett said, “I’m obviously thrilled,” and he gave three reasons for bringing the Margaritaville Casino to Biloxi. The first was fun. His local roots were also a part of the decision, and then he wanted to give the Coast an economic boost to get back on its feet after Hurricane Katrina.

Harrah’s Chairman and CEO Gary Loveman said his company continues to help revitalize the Coast. Harrah’s opened one of the first clinics in Gulfport after the hurricane and paid $8.1 million in grants, loans and relocation assistance to its employees. The company also paid $113 million in state taxes and nearly $140 million in wages in Mississippi in 2006.

Now the focus can switch to moving forward and building a tier 1 destination resort. Loveman said the sale of Harrah’s to a private-equity firm won’t affect the plans for the Margaritaville Casino.

Gov. Haley Barbour can’t wait to hear more about the additional plans for the new casino and said, “It won’t be all about gaming,” but will be a multifaceted destination.

“I plan to be pretty active in this,” said Buffett, who said he will rely on childhood memories such as boat rides to Ship Island as he designs what the Biloxi Margaritaville will look and feel like.

“I think I have a unique insight,” he said. “I go way back.”

Margaritaville is a feeling and a way of life, said John Payne, Harrah’s central division president. It’s never been made into a casino before.

Atwood said as Harrah’s sets out to create a world-class resort, “We brought together some of the best people in the world to help us.”

At least 50 to 60 shops, plus restaurants, will give those visiting Margaritaville Casino “an experience when they go shopping,” said David Simon, CEO of Simon Property Group. The company has developed shopping complexes across the country, including The Forum at the Harrah’s Caesars resort in Las Vegas.

Bobby Moak, chairman of the Gaming Committee of the Mississippi House of Representatives, said this kind of investment is a signal to the rest of the market. “They see some things that are going to happen on the Coast.”

“I think Jimmy Buffett knows the Biloxi of the past,” said Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway, “and he obviously sees the immense promise in the Biloxi of the future.”

Holloway added that more casino announcements will be coming in short order for Biloxi.
Reply With Quote
     
     
This discussion thread continues

Use the page links to the lower-right to go to the next page for additional posts
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Global Projects & Construction > City Compilations
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 2:50 AM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.