The Mississippi Gaming Commission last week delayed a vote on a site application for a proposed 40,000 square foot casino resort and 300-room hotel for the city of Long Beach. Regulators said they needed more time to review the proposal in detail. The developer provided the first released renderings of the proposal during the meeting.
The proposal is to build a casino with 1,500 slots and 20 gaming tables at the 12-acre site of a defunct Kmart and Sav-A grocery store in the city just north of U.S. Route 90 across from the harbor. It would have a seven-story hotel and a fine dining restaurant.
The site was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
Commission Chairman Al Hopkins commented that he and fellow regulators have much more to study before they can vote to approve the site application and determine if it is following state regulations, such as the requirement that the casino be within 800 feet of a water main. Hopkins said, “It gives us the opportunity to review the casino proposal,” he said, “and make sure we are following the regulations to a T.”
They will meet again on December 20 in Jackson, Mississippi, when they may possibly vote on the issue.
The casino resort is a proposal of Long Beach Harbor Resort LLC, which was first registered two years ago. It is headed by a South Mississippi businessman named James Parrish. His company has a contract to buy the K-Mart site contingent on the project being approved.
Long Beach voters more than a dozen years ago approved of a casino for north of the interstate highway by a vote of 55 percent yes, 45 percent no. During the commission meeting several people spoke, with six speaking in favor and three against. One of those speaking for the measure was Mayor George Bass, who said the casino resort would help the city’s stagnant economy and generate funds for education and infrastructure, including the creation of a four-lane road from the interstate that could help attract more business to the city.
“So much positive can come out of this,” said the mayor. “We’re doing everything we can to survive.”
