The Biloxi city council recently approved a resolution to move forward with a proposed $150 million development described as a “world class, waterfront, mixed use convention center and retail project,” located in East Biloxi near Biloxi casinos. Developers BBR Biloxi said it could include the historic Tullis Manor site, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The city owns the valuable waterfront property which has remained vacant.
BBR Biloxi was incorporated October 10 in Delaware. Its Baton Rouge address is the same as Bbr Development, incorporated in Florida in 2017.
If the city approves the resolution to proceed, it would initiate a joint feasibility study to determine if a convention center and retail complex east of Interstate 110 is a viable option, plus recommend a size and location. The study also would research the economic impact, job creation, tax revenue and possible public grants and private funding. The developer would finance the study, estimated at $150,000-$250,000.
Following the study, the city would pay up to $250,000 in site development costs, professional services and up-front fees for public and private grants, loans or bonds.
In addition, the resolution would approve a $50,000 non-refundable option to purchase the Tullis Manor site and other city-owned properties for the project.
At a meeting in Biloxi in September to look at developing the East Biloxi waterfront, Golden Nugget Casino General Manager Chett Harrison said a convention center in that area would bring more people to the city during the week and “energize the waterfront year-round.”
Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich agreed. He said, “Our fuse is lit,” noting the waterfront is the focus for restaurants and attractions in other cities, and work on a boardwalk along the shoreline has begun.
