Biloxi and the Coast

[tombarnes]

Pinnacle Entertainment is being somewhat cagey about returning to Biloxi. This recent snippet of news may indicate a more positive outlook. The Casino Magic tower would need extensive rebuilding, though I think the structure is salvageable. From the Sun Herald....

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/13665056.htm

The Mississippi Gaming Commission is getting closer to setting its 800 foot rule in stone. From the Sun Herald.....

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/13665198.htm

[tombarnes]

1000 unit condominium in Long Beach? I'd really like to see the rendering of this one....

From the Sun Herald....

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/13666271.htm

[NCB]

^That's great!

I would love to see a rendering of this as well.

[tombarnes]

Well, here it is. I think the town of Long Beach deserves a better building. This thing looks like an air conditioner with a dinky decorative turrets at each end. The developer also appears awfully anxious to get in there too. Why so many promises? I don't oppose growth by any means, but this design could be so much better. From the Sun Herald....

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/13668169.htm

Edited January 20, 2006 by tombarnes

[NCB]

^I agree, Long Beach deserves something better than that.

[upstate29650]

edit

Edited January 21, 2006 by upstate29650

[tombarnes]

The 15 story Hancock Bank tower in Gulfport is set for a renovation. I hope they will do something interesting with the building. It's a fairly vanilla building. The Great Southern Club is on the top floor. Will post more when I see a rendering pop up somewhere. From the Sun Herald....

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/13677871.htm

Here's more from the Clarion Ledger. The renovation does make the building more attractive, though not exactly architecturally remarkable.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll...1/BIZ/601210323

[tombarnes]

Gulfport begins plans for downtown renewal...from the Sun Herald...

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/13677867.htm

[tombarnes]

Will Pass Christian be the first city on the Coast to implement the New Urbanist designs proposed by the Governor's Commission?

From WLOX 13....

http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=4392555

It's a clean slate and the people there tend to have more money than almost anywhere else on the Coast. I'd say this is a good bet for rebuilding from the starry-eyed template proposed by the commission.

[tombarnes]

An unorthodox group of workers has been helping in Biloxi with debris clearance. I assume they are not burning anything (there are still rigid burn-bans in place throughout the Coast, as far as I konw). The group is off to Pearlington today until April.

From the Sun Herald....

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/new...xi/13683634.htm

[NCB]

^Very interesting, Tom. I really had no idea that the Burning Man group members were helping out along the Mississippi coast.

[tombarnes]

From the (Jacksonville) Florida Times Union....

http://wire.jacksonville.com/pstories/busi...1/3590944.shtml

More on the proposed reconstruction of Pass Christian. For those who dislike the "waspy" New Urbanism, what would they propose instead? Democratic sprawl for all? New Urbanist environments may be considered for the rich only because the places where they have been built- so far- have catered exclusively to the rich. Exclusion is not a central tenet of New Urbanism itself, but a possible by-product. A Bauhaus tower may be just as exclusive as a New Urbanist town. I'd still love to know what these naysayers would build instead? WalMarts and McDonalds from one end of town to the other? Careful planning should create better neighborhoods for all. The New Urbanists should not be derided because their ideas haven't yet been expressed in other economic environments. The ideas themselves would indeed loend themselves to a wide spectrum of development. To paint their ideas with the brush of race or classism is unhelpful and beside the point entirely.

Edited January 26, 2006 by tombarnes

[tombarnes]

Another new project from Gulf Coast Investment Developers, the Savannah Estates is typical of much of what will likely be built on the Coast. It looks as though they have placed the model in a background of existing trees. The scale doesn't quite work. GCID is one of the most active development companies on the Coast right now.

Edited January 28, 2006 by tombarnes

[tombarnes]

Waveland May Finally Get Marina

Rep. Gene Taylor is pushing Wavelnad to go ahead and build tha marina they have been considering for the past 30 years. From the Sun Herald. As the article suggests, now is the time to get these things built.

Edited January 31, 2006 by tombarnes

[tombarnes]

Gulf Coast Pictures

The Gulf Coast News has a series of pictures of the Mississippi Coast depicting the difficulties faced in rebuilding. While I must admit the picture of a vanquished McDonald's warms my heart, the salient point of the piece is that high-rise structures are the most likely outcome of the rebuilding process. The New Urbanist visions may well prove to be just pictures. I sincerely hope not. As all of us on this board know, high-rise towers need not be the graceless lumps which have disfigured so many of our shorelines. Is anyone going to listen?

Edited February 1, 2006 by tombarnes

[tombarnes]

Signs of the Times

The iconic chrome and neon sign of the old Broadwater Beach didn't make it through Katrina. While the hotel itself had been scheduled for demolition, the sign was to have been retained. It's gone now. From the

Sun Herald...

[tombarnes]

Coliseum to Get $$ for Repairs

The Mississippi Coast Coliseum is scheduled to receive $7 m for post-Katrina repairs. While I'm sure this needs to be done, I'm wondering what's happened to the planned expansion and renovation they had going on before the storm. I think a new purpose-built convention center would be the best step forward for the region. It may prove difficult to attract major conventions to an old stadium, no matter how comfortable the seats....From the Sun Herald.

[tombarnes]

Churches Offer Aid on the Mississippi Coast

Church members from all over are lending their hands to the reconstruction of the Coast. This article in the Washington Post describes how many who have volunteered cannot stay away. I'd love to be able to go down there myself to do something- anything to help.

Edited February 5, 2006 by tombarnes

[tombarnes]

Carribean Dream, Gulfport

The Caribbean Dream in Gulfport is apparently going forward in spite of Katrina.

Image from Preconstructioncondos.com

Edited February 5, 2006 by tombarnes

[tombarnes]

More on this project may be found at their website...Watermark Resorts.

[tombarnes]

The Beau Rivage--Seawall?

An article (with video clip as well) from WLOX Channel 13 News suggests that the Beau Rivage may have acted as a protective barrier for parts of downtown Biloxi. The massive storm surge of Katrina did destroy the first two floors of the hotel, but its fury was somewhat diminished by the time it reached the buildings directly in its path. An interesting thought...what do you think?

Edited February 7, 2006 by tombarnes

[tombarnes]

Oak Shores- More from GCID

The first phase of Oak Shores should be open by April, 2006. Construction of the mid-rise tower will begin later this year. Article from the Gulf Coast News...

[tombarnes]

Grass Lawn to be Rebuilt

Grass Lawn, an antebellum house built in 1836, was destroyed by Katrina. Plans are under way to rebuild the house. From WLOX Channel 13

More on Grass Lawn may be found at the City of Gulfport's website.

Edited February 11, 2006 by tombarnes

[tombarnes]

Two More Casinos Announce Reopening Time Frames

I wouldn't call them dates, just yet. Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis and Boomtownin Biloxi wiull be open by the third quarter of the year. Word about what will happen to the Casino Magic tower in Biloxi hasn't been announced. The Boomtownhas somwhow escaped the requirement to build a hotel thus far- possibly because iuts parent company used to own the Casino Magic in Biloxi. This is no longer the case.

Article from the Sun Herald

Edited February 15, 2006 by tombarnes

[tombarnes]

Land Values Soar as Speculation Wave Hits the Coast

THe property speculation game on the Coast is reaching new levels. Peoperty which might have gone for $10 or $15 psf is now going for around $50 psf. Some casino owners claim that this hinders development. Whiole it may slow things down, it is a natural part of the evolution of the area from residential to commercial use. Article from the Clarion Ledger