Page 98 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2019

Gulfport, the Coast’s largest city, is on a roll. That’s due to years of collaborative planning by inter-departmental personnel, according to Mayor Billy Hewes. A real biggie, the Mississippi Aquarium, is set to open late this year.
“This planning is yielding great promise in the form of substantial investments in our City,” Hewes said. “Our crystal ball is not a speculative medium, as we will see the long-awaited completion of multiple hotels and restaurants at Centennial Plaza, the Anchor Plaza/Crossroads area, and the Markham Hotel downtown.”
As for 2019 projections, Hewes says the city is in constant discussions with business prospects ranging from retail, to restaurants, to large-scale developments. “We anticipate new car dealerships along the I-10 corridor, continued build out of Cowan Road/Highway 605, and we’ll ramp up events
at Fishbone Alley and hope to see renewed discussions on the Gulfport Music Festival.”
Gulfport’s population and economy are expected to see
modest, yet steady growth.
“So much of our numbers are dependent upon new jobs and better amenities for visitors and
hope to see more commercial opportunities resulting from improvements to the State Port, airport, and industrial seaway.”
The focus will continue to include improving the city’s quality of life with such things as the Sportsplex and beautification and streetscape improvements that turn neglected areas into gathering places. Additionally, the city reclaimed
a birding trail, and created a dog park, bicycle and nature trail and community gardens.
“We want visitors to continue to have that ‘I had no idea’ moment when discovering our attractions, culture, climate, cuisine, and work ethic,” Hewes said. “Infrastructure improvements will always be a challenge for a city on the move, and we will continue to seek funding opportunities for streets and drainage projects.”
Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes
98 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • January 2019
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residents, which we are seeking to attract every day,” the mayor said. “As the retail and business center of the Gulf Coast, we see opportunity in many sectors and
CITY
CLOSEUPS
GULFPORT ADDING
Quality-of-Life
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of The City of Gulfport
IMPROVEMENTS