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

[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





Tivoli Hotel after Hurricane Katrina



Provided by www.gulfcoasthurricanecenter.com/katrinams.html


The Proposed Tivoli Project



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=e...wloc=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]

Originally Posted by BLX 101

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by Red UM Rebel

SUCH A COOL FACTOID. THanks BLX

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

http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/features/...1/gambling.htm

[Muskavon]

Originally Posted by BLX 101

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

http://www.casinocity.com/maps/?Near...tyId=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]

Originally Posted by Muskavon

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]

Originally Posted by Red UM Rebel

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]

Originally Posted by 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

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]

Originally Posted by Sapphire

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.