Buc-ee's is known for its large stores with dozens of gas pumps, lots of bathrooms and aisles of snacks. Merchandise with its mascot, a beaver in a red cap, is also popular. The stores are open 24 hours, 365 days of the year. (2015 file photo by Ron Baselice/The Dallas Morning News)
This rendering shows Buc-ee’s coming to Menge Avenue in Harrision County, and the long line of gasoline pumps that are part of the Texas-based company’s travel centers. Courtesy Harrison County Development Commission
Buc-ee's is known for its large stores with dozens of gas pumps, lots of bathrooms and aisles of snacks. Merchandise with its mascot, a beaver in a red cap, is also popular. The stores are open 24 hours, 365 days of the year. (2015 file photo by Ron Baselice/The Dallas Morning News)
We’re almost halfway through 2022 and South Mississippi has a new zip line, a roller coaster and an amusement park under construction on the beach in Biloxi, with more housing, restaurants and attractions coming across the Coast.
“Commercial, residential and amusement construction continues in all parts of the city,” said Jerry Creel, Biloxi’s community development director. The zip lines opened this spring at Finishline Performance Karting in Biloxi. A roller coaster is one of the new attractions at Big Play Entertainment Center, and a giant Ferris wheel arrived in Biloxi as Paradise Pier Fun Park takes shape at Margaritaville Resort Biloxi.
“Since Jan. 1, we have issued building permits for almost $44 million dollars in construction valuation,’ Creel said, “and we have just experienced our record 13th straight month of sales tax revenues exceeding $1 million.” He said more projects are under review or will be announced soon.
Crews continue to transform the Barq Building in downtown Biloxi into commercial and residential. The multi-million dollar makeover of all the hotel rooms Beau Rivage Resort & Casino has begun, Howard Square apartments and the new location of Fill-Up With Billups is nearly complete, Slim Chickens in under construction and the former Wells Fargo Bank in downtown is being converted into vacation units.
A $4 million Aldi grocery store is under construction on U.S. 90 in Ocean Springs and a new Jersey Mike’s opened in D’Iberville has a new Pedros Tacos and Tequila Bar opening soon.
Gulfport has seen new shops, restaurants and other businesses pop up this year in white buildings on Cowan and Pass Roads. Yet it’s apartments, condos and new homes that really are taking off, said Greg Pietrangelo, director of urban development for Gulfport.
The city is on a record pace for new homes, he said. Typically 200 new homes are constructed in Gulfport each year, give or take 25, he said.
In the first five months this year, the city already has issued building permits for 156 homes, he said.
“If we falter just a little bit, we’re still going to build 250 homes in the City of Gulfport this year,” he said, which will be the most since just after Hurricane Katrina.
New apartments, condos and homes are being built in cities across the Coast.
Two new phases are starting construction at Florence Gardens. A condo project under way off Cowan Road at Magnolia and also will be built in phases.
Great Southern Golf Club soon will be transformed into a beachfront housing community in Gulfport by Arbor Properties. The company built and operates five apartment complexes in South Mississippi and just expanded Arbor Landing on the River in Biloxi with several new buildings.
Gulfport Town Center in the downtown is a project the mayor and city officials are confident will get started and bring 200 apartments downtown, Pietrangelo said.
“That’s going to be a catalyst,” he said, and he expects it to attract businesses and professionals who will be working in the blue economy when University of South Mississippi’s Roger Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise opens next year.
South Mississippi’s economy would be moving even faster if not for supply chain issues. Developers say it is taking three to eight months to get electrical panels and other supplies they need before they can open these new businesses.
Mississippi’s first Buc-ee’s Travel Center at the Menge Avenue exit off I-10 is one of the most anticipated projects in South Mississippi and has taken another step forward.
Harrison County Supervisors are issuing a general obligation bond to improve the intersection to handle the traffic that comes when a new Buc-ee’s opens, said Bill Lavers, executive director of the Harrison County Development Commission.
A $15 million makeover will expand the Menge Avenue exit from two to five lanes, Lavers said, across the interstate and to the access roads.
He said Buc-ee’s will create more business and jobs for that whole area.
“The first step is getting the interchange done,” he said.
This rendering shows Buc-ee’s coming to Menge Avenue in Harrision County, and the long line of gasoline pumps that are part of the Texas-based…
▪ Crazy Sisters Catfish is moving from Ballpark Road in Vancleave to a bigger location at the cabin on Mississippi 57.
▪ Eat Right Meal Prep new pickup location, 1822 15th St., Suite 5, Gulfport
▪ Fleur De Lis Bar & Grill, 809 Ingalls Ave., Pascagoula
▪ I am Candy and Things, Delo’s Heavenly House of Coffee, 3880 Gautier Vancleave Road, Gautier
▪ Kurbside Kitchen, 3413 Elvira Grandison Road, Moss Point
▪ Manglamo Italian Restaurant opening at the corner of Cowan and Magnolia roads in Gulfport.
▪ Pass the Juice reopening, 2709 25th Ave., Gulfport
▪ Qdoba Mexican Eats, opening at 1109 Cowan Road at Sweetwater Square, Gulfport
▪ The Lunchbox Eatery, 4219 Main St., Moss Point
▪ Yummy Donuts, coming to 1104 Irish Hill Drive, Biloxi
Building permits were issued recently for these new restaurants:
▪ $1.6 million — Slim Chickens restaurant, 916 Cedar Lake Road, Biloxi
▪ $392,000 — Harrah’s Casino Biloxi, Purple Zebra daiquiri bar and deck, 280 Beach Blvd., Biloxi
▪ $190,000 — Pier 15, 12046 Sandbar Lane, Biloxi, new events center, bar and lounge
▪ $176,000 — Add two drive thru lanes at McDonald’s, 3227 Denny Ave., Pascagoula
▪ $10,000 — Golden Nugget Casino Starbucks renovation, 151 Beach Blvd., Biloxi
These are other building permits issued across the Coast, according to the Treen Report:
▪ $4,500,000 — New apartments at 133 Briarfield Ave., Biloxi
▪ $4,500,000 — BSL Self Storage, three buildings, 725 U.S. 90, Bay St. Louis
▪ $1,600,000 — Ridglea Heights Baptist Church renovation, 12601 Mississippi 613, Jackson County
▪ $1,200,000 — Arbor Landing, apartment buildings, 1850 Popp’s Ferry Road, Biloxi
▪ $1,200,000 — Soccer field house and pavilion at Biloxi Public School District, 1845 Tribe Drive, Biloxi
▪ $1,200,000 — Repair fire damage at 10900 Taylor Road, Gulfport
▪ $1,100,000 — Full House Venture Co., renovations at 12155 Intraplex Parkway, Gulfport
▪ $950,000 — New commercial, South Coast Development, 1290 Ocean Springs Road, Ocean Springs
▪ $850,000 — Retail, club, 4 new apartments, WB Roertson, 3109 Pascagoula St., Pascagoula
▪ $874,000 — new subdivision for Blessed Invest Team, Dedeaux and Tanner Roads, Gulfport
▪ $835,000 — Gulfport School District new ball field, 3233 Hancock, Gulfport
▪ $824,000 — Offices and 4 apartments, Bill Legier, 720 Delmas Ave., Pascagoula
▪ $668,000 — New 2 unit building, 8230 Tucker Road, Ocean Springs
▪ $649,000 — New temple, International Society for Krishna, 31490 Anner Road, Carriere
▪ $536,000 — Biloxi Visitors Center, 1050 Beach Blvd., storm damage repairs
▪ $510,000 — Multi-use building at 114 Third St. E, Long Beach ▪ $500,000 — The Cut Shop, Tynes Holdings, 512 Cowan Road, Gulfport
▪ $485,000 — Renovation for Earl Denham LLC, 424 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs
▪ $450,000 — New multi-family dwellings at 225 Winters Garden Drive, Long Beach
▪ $441,000 — Bay High renovations, 750 Blue Meadow, Bay St. Louis
▪ $441,000 — Bay Middle School renovations, 600 Pine St., Bay St. Louis
▪ $441,000 — North Bay Elementary renovations, 600 Pine St., Bay St. Louis
▪ $400,000 — Winn-Dixie Pharmacy renovations, 109 Cleveland Ave., Long Beach
▪ $400,000 — Inn at Long Beach, renovations, lobby, meeting room, 300 Beach Blvd., Long Beach
▪ $362,000 — Main Street United Methodist Church, 162 Main St., Bay St. Louis, ramp and gazebo
▪ $325,000 — Secure dry self storage warehouse for boats, 16275 Landon Road, Gulfport
▪ $288,000 — Bay Waveland School District, 600 Pine St., Bay St. Louis, renovations and add canopy
▪ $270,000 — Hancock County Port/Harbor, 7095 Roscoe Turner Road, renovation and hangar door, Stennis International Airport
▪ $250,000 — Bath & Body Works renovation at Edgewater Mall, 2600 Beach Blvd., Biloxi
▪ $244,000 — Hancock County Parks & Recreation, 4184 Kiln DeLisle Road, Kiln, renovations
▪ $241,000 — Mississippi Maritime, 609 DuPont St., Pascagoula, renovations
▪ $215,000 — New big boat barn for Robert Lamb, 2200 Longfellow Drive, Bay St. Louis
▪ $140,000 — 42 mini storage units, Ryan Peterson, 30180 Mississippi 603, Perkinston
▪ $73,000 — Hydroponic grow facility for RTI, 5801 Gulf Tech Drive, Ocean Springs
Ribbon cuttings were held recently at these new businesses:
▪ Applied Pressure Massage Clinic, 11497 U.S. 49, Gulfport
▪ Clary & Sage Apothecary, 1763 Market St., Pascagoula
▪ Cypress Environment & Infrastructure, 906 Desoto St., Ocean Springs
▪ Goosehead Insurance - Odom Agency, 3313 Market St., Pascagoula
▪ Gulfeagle Supply, 3737 25th Ave., Gulfport
▪ H2 Cutz Barbershop Salon & Spa, 2709 25th Ave., Gulfport
▪ Hope Restoration furniture, home decor and gifts, 1000 Kiln-DeLisle Road, Pass Christian
▪ Kork’d Wine & Liquor, 2079 East Pass Road, Gulfport
▪ Lagarde’s Fine Wine and Spirits, 128 Blaize Ave., Bay St. Louis
▪ Lisa Ladner Agency, health insurance, 5402 Aloha Drive, Diamondhead
▪ Moors Choice herb shop and specialty store, 318 Courthouse Road, Gulfport
▪ Peace by Piece Quilt Shop reopening, 1030 Howard Ave., Biloxi
▪ Powermark Properties, 482 U.S. 90, Waveland
▪ Rustic Wick Candle Bar, 315 U.S. 90, Waveland
▪ Scott Catalano State Farm insurance, 4313 Leisure Time Drive, Diamondhead
▪ Sail & Anchor Real Estate, 803 Live Oak Ave., Pascagoula
▪ Sassy Bird Interiors, 122 Court St., Bay St. Louis
▪ Singing River Art Gallery, 630 Delmas Ave., Pascagoula
▪ Singing River Federal Credit Union, 3070 Bienville Blvd., Ocean Springs
▪ Summerfield of Gulfport senior living community, 14744 N. Swan Road, Gulfport
▪ The Boutique by The Wedding Collection, 118 North Beach Blvd., Bay St. Louis
▪ The Fashion Factory boutique, 1311 25th Ave., Gulfport
▪ Wags N Swag Pet Grooming/Boutique, 2905 25th Ave., Gulfport
▪ June 8 — Southern Girl Cookies, 314 U.S. 90, Waveland
▪ June 9 — Healthy Air Now, The Meeting Center, 770 Water St., Biloxi
▪ June 9 — Benchmark Physical Therapy, 921 Cedar Lake Road, Biloxi
▪ June 10 — Inspr Exchange Outfitter, Edgewater Mall, Biloxi
▪ June 23 — Bark Avenue dog spa, 8456 Woolmarket Road, Biloxi
South Mississippi is drawing attention from developers and investors.
Here are some of the big deals recently completed or in progress:
▪ Two apartment complexes in Harrison County with 217 units were sold for $14.8 million to investors from New Jersey, said Jason Hyde, an associate advisor with SVN Multifamily, which arranged the sale. Biloxi Shores near the beach at at 263 Eisenhower Drive and Arlington Square Apartments at 3300 Pass Road in Gulfport were purchased sold by a Miami seller to Shimi Kohn and Jacob Seidenfeld of Gemstone Partners.
▪ New owners at Bay Town Inn opened The Residence, a two-bedroom, two bath home with views of the bay and the pool area. The resort at 208 N. Beach Boulevard in Bay St Louis also has five new vacation rentals” The Suites on State Street, one block from the beach in Old Town, and The Villas at Ruella Avenue, close to the beach and Old Town.
▪ Fortune International, a leading processor, distributor and importer of seafood, meats and gourmet products, acquired North Bay Seafood in D’Iberville. This expands Fortune International’s operations into the Gulf states. North Bay Seafood is a distributor of fresh oysters and frozen seafood and has been owned and operated since 1986 by Carl Dreiling and his son Danny, who will continue with Fortune as a director of new business development.
▪ AnderCorp construction company in Gulfport has been awarded a $33.7 million contract to build Mississippi’s new Department of Public Safety headquarters that will centralize DPS operations in Rankin County. It will house DPS administration, Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Narcotics, Office of Homeland Security, Crime Stoppers, Capitol Police and other agencies.
▪ BancorpSouth opened a new loan and deposit production office at 726 Delmas Ave., Pascagoula
▪ Gulf States Engineering based in Mobile, Alabama is expanding its office space in Gulfport. GSE has maintained an office at 1816 Pass Road in Gulfport since 2007. With the recent purchase of a new building next to the current location, GSE will have another office at 1814 Pass Road in Gulfport.
▪ Gulfport Tractor Supply store at 13440 U.S. 49 opened a new garden center this spring with plants, tools and supplies for gardens and landscaping.
▪ Pascagoula Mayor Hay Willis said a developer has plans to turn the train depot into a restaurant and Anchor Square into residential units.
▪ Leavitt Group national insurance brokerage firm headquartered in Utah, with offices in Gulfport, D’Iberville, Ocean Springs and Pascagoula, has acquired Gulfport-based Access Insurance owned by Patrice Enochs.
▪ Bradford Health Services substance use disorder treatment provider has acquired The Estate at River Bend, a Mississippi-based substance use disorder treatment facility in operation since 2018. It offers residential addiction treatment services.
▪ Ariel Property Advisors announced the arrangement of a $2.2 million acquisition loan for a 27,350-square-foot office property in Pascagoula. Chevron Oil anchors the property as the main tenant, occupying 80% of the space.
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