Bulldozers are busy in Biloxi, Mississippi, removing the foundation of what was to be a 0 million casino—a joint effort between Harrah’s Casino and singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. That plan came to an end in 2008 when the economic recession hit. Grand Biloxi General Manager Jonathan Jones said the old foundation will be added to the Katrina Reef offshore. He added a boardwalk and entertainment lawn will be built at the site, and the Grand Biloxi will be transformed and re-branded as Harrah’s Gulf Coast Casino.
All of the guest rooms, the casino, restaurants and pool area will be renovated, said Kennedy Smith, vice president of marketing at Grand Biloxi, adding the investment by parent company Caesars Entertainment shows customers and the community, “This is where we’re going with this property.”
Biloxi Community Development Director Jerry Creel said when city officials met with investors, they all wanted to know when the unfinished casino would be demolished and whether the Biloxi loop, which connects most of the casinos from Beach Boulevard to the Back Bay, would be extended. Creel said now he can report demolition has begun and the city council has approved a state grant that will extend the loop to Fifth Street.
Creel added developers across the country constantly are seeking locations where things are happening, particularly in a down economy. “Things are happening in Biloxi,” he said, including expansions and renovations at Palace Casino, Hard Rock Casino Biloxi, Golden Nugget Casino, White House Hotel and Grand Biloxi; a new hotel at Margaritaville Casino; the opening of Waterfront Park and Biloxi Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum; and above all, construction of a new baseball stadium.
A groundbreaking ceremony recently was held at the stadium site, across from the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. Doug Dale with Dale Partners Architects recently presented the city council with a tentative schedule calling for the council to approve the $21 million stadium bond issue at its meeting on January 28 in order for the stadium to be completed in May 2015. Chet Nadolski, senior vice president at Yates Construction, said, “If we don’t start construction March 1 we don’t have a chance to meet the May date.” The stadium will seat between 5,000-6,000 people; a berm inside the stadium will provide seating for an additional 800 people at reduced prices.
City officials explained it took longer than expected for the league to approve the Huntsville Stars sale and move to Biloxi. The city council still needs to sign the lease with the team owners and MGM Grand for the land. The proposed contract calls for the city to pay$10,000 for each home game missed if the stadium is not ready after March 28, 2015.
