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bluff2085

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I'm not holding my breath, but if the Myriad AND Riverbend projects proceed as planned, development costs between the two will exceed 4 billion dollars! Neither is certain, though updates on each have quietly persisted.

An overview of the 2 projects:

Myriad Resort:

-540 acres, $1.9 billion, Tunica County

-the world's first climate-controlled fully enclosed 18-hole golf course

-6 new casinos

-convention center w/ four-star 1,200 room hotel

-250,000 sf. retail

-water and ski parks

-world-class botanical gardens

-the Mississippi Eye, "one of the world's largest observation wheels"

-latest update: Myriad news

Riverbend Crossing:

-4,500 acres, $2.7 billion, Desoto County (Walls)

-500-600 acres of lake(s)?

-MGM mega entertainment center including theme park, retail, and hotels

-9,500 new homes w/ 30,000 eventual residents

-"urban village" along with RV park (nice combo)

-4 championship golf courses (speculations have these courses landing another PGA tourney)

-Ferris wheel, proposed as largest structure in Mississippi

-latest update: Riverbend news

As far as local Memphis news goes, seems like Riverbend Crossing has had much more coverage. Each has something to offer, though I prefer the Riverbend one, mainly b/c of the project's residential element. Riverbend has also been touted on the news for its new-urbanist approach to development.

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I'm not holding my breath, but if the Myriad AND Riverbend projects proceed as planned, development costs between the two will exceed 4 billion dollars! Neither is certain, though updates on each have quietly persisted.

An overview of the 2 projects:

Myriad Resort:

-540 acres, $1.9 billion, Tunica County

-the world's first climate-controlled fully enclosed 18-hole golf course

-6 new casinos

-convention center w/ four-star 1,200 room hotel

-250,000 sf. retail

-water and ski parks

-world-class botanical gardens

-the Mississippi Eye, "one of the world's largest observation wheels"

-latest update: Myriad news

Riverbend Crossing:

-4,500 acres, $2.7 billion, Desoto County (Walls)

-500-600 acres of lake(s)?

-MGM mega entertainment center including theme park, retail, and hotels

-9,500 new homes w/ 30,000 eventual residents

-"urban village" along with RV park (nice combo)

-4 championship golf courses (speculations have these courses landing another PGA tourney)

-Ferris wheel, proposed as largest structure in Mississippi

-latest update: Riverbend news

As far as local Memphis news goes, seems like Riverbend Crossing has had much more coverage. Each has something to offer, though I prefer the Riverbend one, mainly b/c of the project's residential element. Riverbend has also been touted on the news for its new-urbanist approach to development.

How far is Tunica from Memphis? If the Riverbend Crossings project fall out, do you think that will open up things for Memphis pertaining to getting a major Theme Park at Graceland?

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Riverbend Crossing is in Walls, in DeSoto County, probably no more than 10 miles from the city limits.

I'm not sure where in Tunica County, the Myriad is planned, but all the casinos are in the north part of the county, probably 20-25 miles south of Memphis. The town of Tunica actually has no casinos since it's further south and further from Memphis. All the casinos are just out there in the cotton fields. It's a weird sight.

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I will have to go there sometimes.

There's one casino there--the Gold Strike I believe it's called--that has a 25 story hotel rising out of nowhere. It was the tallest building in MS when built.

Another interesting factoid--Tunica is the 3rd largest gambling destination in the US as measured by gambling revenue, after Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

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There's one casino there--the Gold Strike I believe it's called--that has a 25 story hotel rising out of nowhere. It was the tallest building in MS when built.

Another interesting factoid--Tunica is the 3rd largest gambling destination in the US as measured by gambling revenue, after Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

And after what's been going on in Jersey, it must be currently the second most active. Although Jersey will get going again . . . eventually?

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Riverbend Crossing is in Walls, in DeSoto County, probably no more than 10 miles from the city limits.

I'm not sure where in Tunica County, the Myriad is planned, but all the casinos are in the north part of the county, probably 20-25 miles south of Memphis. The town of Tunica actually has no casinos since it's further south and further from Memphis. All the casinos are just out there in the cotton fields. It's a weird sight.

I think the Myriad is going to be built somewhere along Mhoon Landing Parkway which is about 30 miles from the state line.

And after what's been going on in Jersey, it must be currently the second most active. Although Jersey will get going again . . . eventually?

It'll be hard to beat Atlantic City because of one factor...New York City. Metro New York has 18.1 million people which is more than TN, AR, and MS combined. Sure lots of New Yorkers may go to Vegas but most would probably want to stay close to home and take a weekend trip to Atlantic City. Same case with Philadelphia and the rest of the Boston-DC megalopolis. Bringing in something to attract people from outside the South like the Myriad is a step in the right direction. Right now its just a regional attraction and is probably unknown any further north or east of Nashville and Atlanta.

Tunica seems to be on the verge of a boom. There is widening of Highway 61 and what seems to be a bypass of I-69 coming very close to the Riverbend and Tunica Resorts area. The area already had a few apartment complexes (probably for the casino workers) pop out in the middle of nowhere.

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I think the Myriad is going to be built somewhere along Mhoon Landing Parkway which is about 30 miles from the state line.

It'll be hard to beat Atlantic City because of one factor...New York City. Metro New York has 18.1 million people which is more than TN, AR, and MS combined. Sure lots of New Yorkers may go to Vegas but most would probably want to stay close to home and take a weekend trip to Atlantic City. Same case with Philadelphia and the rest of the Boston-DC megalopolis. Bringing in something to attract people from outside the South like the Myriad is a step in the right direction. Right now its just a regional attraction and is probably unknown any further north or east of Nashville and Atlanta.

Tunica seems to be on the verge of a boom. There is widening of Highway 61 and what seems to be a bypass of I-69 coming very close to the Riverbend and Tunica Resorts area. The area already had a few apartment complexes (probably for the casino workers) pop out in the middle of nowhere.

I was just talking about the shutting down of the Jersey government until yesterday, which shut down all of the Atl City casinos; they were losing about 14 mill a day estimated. You're right about the demos that are to Atl City's favor, coupled with the fact that Atl City doesn't have a lot of regional competition. Maybe Tunica can achieve the same regional stature; but it faces competition from the Gulf Coast. Myriad will be a big step in the right direction.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

The governor of Mississippi may call a special session to discuss public financing incentives:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/desoto...4876142,00.html

Hopefully, the state will recognize how big this project is. This quote sum it up best.

"This would be the largest tourism project to come to Mississippi that is not connected to the casino market."

While he's positive the development would complement Tunica's gaming industry, Davis said, "I like the idea of DeSoto County having the most family-friendly attraction in Mississippi, if not in the region."

We need a bigger, better, amusement park ASAP!!!

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From the Beale St. Landing thread...

Unless it's an existing future (One Beale or the north Main church tower) or new planned high-rise, I agree, I hope it's Riverbend, and I hope the MGM theme park is an actual amusement park and not a leisure park (although gaushell has nothing to do with the actual plans of amenities, as I understand it, just the visual/media pr campaigns).

I'm kinda worried about the MGM thing too. The only completed website I could find for the project was John Mayo's. Heres the partial site plan I posted earlier...

http://www.johnmayo.com/bill_phillips.JPG

It says Entertainment District, not amusement park. All the newspapers are saying theme or amusement parks so it may be just an assumption on their part. But notice there is something called Travelland. I don't know if thats a classy RV park or what since the RV park is up to the north. But what does give me hope is the St Regis. Why would they build one of those in an urban community unless there was something big nearby? They want to attract another PGA tournament to the area as well (along with the Myriad which will probably have a better shot). Since most of the residents are planned to be retirees, the course may attract a Senior PGA. Maybe even a Junior and LPGA tourney as well. Whats gonna go into MGM's "entertainment district" is just speculation until they actually have a website with details.

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From the Beale St. Landing thread...

I'm kinda worried about the MGM thing too. The only completed website I could find for the project was John Mayo's. Heres the partial site plan I posted earlier...

http://www.johnmayo.com/bill_phillips.JPG

It says Entertainment District, not amusement park. All the newspapers are saying theme or amusement parks so it may be just an assumption on their part. But notice there is something called Travelland. I don't know if thats a classy RV park or what since the RV park is up to the north. But what does give me hope is the St Regis. Why would they build one of those in an urban community unless there was something big nearby? They want to attract another PGA tournament to the area as well (along with the Myriad which will probably have a better shot). Since most of the residents are planned to be retirees, the course may attract a Senior PGA. Maybe even a Junior and LPGA tourney as well. Whats gonna go into MGM's "entertainment district" is just speculation until they actually have a website with details.

Totally agree. "Entertainment district" sounds like a downtown Disney or something, whereas maybe the alternative could be an MGM Studios or Universal Pictures theme park kind of thing. There was a rumor that Disney was considering building an American music theme park. We need to get someone to nudge Riverbend to do something to bring something along those lines here to the home of the Blues. Someone call those developers and at least make the suggestion. I wonder how closely MGM and Disney work together (b/c they have the Disney/MGM studios -- do they have anything else?), and if it is at all possible (I don't think the odds are at all high, but who knows? We gotta shoot for the stars).

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  • 3 weeks later...

The concepts of the MGM themepark has been announced! Here are the early renderings...

The Entrance

http://www.johnmayo.com/gate.jpg

"Hollywood" with a theater that will host premiers for some MGM movies (they might be the ones relocating their HQ here) and a flim academy

http://www.johnmayo.com/hollywood_plaza.jpg

http://www.johnmayo.com/film_school.jpg

http://www.johnmayo.com/theater.jpg

"Paris Blues Lane" according to John Mayo will be a musical entertainment district of the park featuring everything from roadhouse blues to soft jazz with a romantic French restaurant, pastry shop, and a collection of European art and clothing.

http://www.johnmayo.com/paris.jpg

A street based on Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon bikini movies (Mayo says its like Ocean City, Maryland)

http://www.johnmayo.com/50s.jpg

The Mississippi Delta part will include a riverboat, Mississippi Delta Artisan Faire, "Fistful of Dollars" shooting gallery, and a simulated hang gliding soar of the Mississippi Delta.

http://www.johnmayo.com/big_country.jpg

And Cutthroat Island takes you back to Huck Finn, a seaside port of 200 years ago, and a kid's sized pirate ship to romp on and win the "battle of the seas". Restaurants in this area would have a Caribbean theme, tropical clothing shoppes, and a lighthouse to view the entire development. Seems like the Ferris Wheel was replaced by a Lighthouse. Thats pretty unique IMO.

http://www.johnmayo.com/cuthtroat.jpg

To read his entire commentary on these projects, click here

This project does seem to be a "Downtown Disney" and there is no mention of rollercoasters or regular amusement park rides. I'm still rooting for this project because it'll spur more tourism development in western Desoto and Tunica. An amusement park can still be proposed because there is a huge amount of open space in the area. On another note, the development that was supposed to replace The Circle G resort fell through because the developers couldn't decide what the project should include.

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How far away is the Circle G from Riverbend? That was land formerly associated with Elvis, right?

It's disappointing that there aren't any rides, but I kind of expected as much, seeing as how the developers wanted to steer the neighborhood toward a retiree demographic. Hopefully, the renderings of the layout of the district reflect the design and planning mentality for the entire Riverbend community, but who knows.

Oh yeah, there seemed to be a ferris wheel in the background of the pic with the lighthouse. Am I missing something? Were there two ferris wheels originally or what?

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How far away is the Circle G from Riverbend? That was land formerly associated with Elvis, right?

It's disappointing that there aren't any rides, but I kind of expected as much, seeing as how the developers wanted to steer the neighborhood toward a retiree demographic. Hopefully, the renderings of the layout of the district reflect the design and planning mentality for the entire Riverbend community, but who knows.

Oh yeah, there seemed to be a ferris wheel in the background of the pic with the lighthouse. Am I missing something? Were there two ferris wheels originally or what?

Riverbend and Circle G are 10 miles apart. Circle G (Elvis' former ranch) is located at Goodman Road and Highway 301. There were two groups who unsuccessfully attempted to turn Circle G into a major destination but both failed. That area is a historic spot so the owner of Graceland might be intrested in buying the land and building another multiday attraction after he gets done with Graceland.

As for the ferris wheel, my computer was on the fritz last night so I had to rely at looking at the tiny pictures on the main page. The pictures were too small for me to notice the ferris wheel but I expected the "largest structure in Mississippi" to be bigger than that. Maybe there are two ferris wheels planned for Riverbend. Another thing I think is exciting about this project is the beach. The closest beach to Memphis as far as I know is in Sardis.

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Riverbend and Circle G are 10 miles apart. Circle G (Elvis' former ranch) is located at Goodman Road and Highway 301. There were two groups who unsuccessfully attempted to turn Circle G into a major destination but both failed. That area is a historic spot so the owner of Graceland might be intrested in buying the land and building another multiday attraction after he gets done with Graceland.

As for the ferris wheel, my computer was on the fritz last night so I had to rely at looking at the tiny pictures on the main page. The pictures were too small for me to notice the ferris wheel but I expected the "largest structure in Mississippi" to be bigger than that. Maybe there are two ferris wheels planned for Riverbend. Another thing I think is exciting about this project is the beach. The closest beach to Memphis as far as I know is in Sardis.

Yeah, I'm really interested to see what SFX has in store. It doesn't look good for a legit amusement park at Riverbend. Maybe one of the Elvis properties will get something.

And the ferris wheel, like you said, isn't anything special or unique, at least in the rendering.

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Anyone remember the Johnson Country proposal back in the 90s? That would've been sweet.

I do. It was the huge amusement park that was in the shape of the USA and every state was gonna be repersented by a diffrent ride. I think it was proposed for the same plot of land Riverbend is proposed to go on. Lets hope Riverbend jumps the major hurdle tommorow.

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Riverbends incentives are a go! It gives $23 million for roads and water lines plus a maximum $150 million sales tax rebate for Riverbend which will now include a museum or aquarium and a night club district that the developers have touted as "South Beale Street." Construction could begin as early as the fall.

The Mississippi Development Authority executive director Leland Speed told the CA he sees "a little Opryland and Branson, Mo." I wonder what he means by this. Opryland had rides didn't it?

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Riverbends incentives are a go! It gives $23 million for roads and water lines plus a maximum $150 million sales tax rebate for Riverbend which will now include a museum or aquarium and a night club district that the developers have touted as "South Beale Street." Construction could begin as early as the fall.

The Mississippi Development Authority executive director Leland Speed told the CA he sees "a little Opryland and Branson, Mo." I wonder what he means by this. Opryland had rides didn't it?

Yep. And the Branson analogy for some might be scary.

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