Page 63 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2022

share that experience with more customers as we add new stores across the Southeast." Ocean Springs officials still don't have a
timetable for the opening. ALDI is waiting for
a distribution center in Mobile to be finished before setting an opening date for later this year.
In Biloxi, a multi-million dollar makeover of all the hotel rooms at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino is underway. A new location of Fill-Up With Billups is nearly complete. Slim Chickens is under construction and the former Wells Fargo Bank downtown is being converted into vacation units. The old Barq Building in the downtown area is being transformed into
a mixed-use of commercial and residential projects.
There are also plenty of new entertainment venues in Biloxi. Finishline Performance Karting opened a 40-foot-high double zip line. A roller coaster is one of the new attractions at Big Play Entertainment Center, and a giant Ferris wheel has already gone up as Paradise Pier Fun Park takes shape at Margaritaville Resort Biloxi.
Gulfport is moving forward with plans for
a Town Center. The mixed-use development that will have 200 apartments, retail shops, and trendy restaurants is proceeding thanks to an $8 million award of BP money from the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund.
The hope is to make downtown Gulfport even better by creating a center with luxury apartments, entertainment venues, and public parking spaces.
Gautier is redeveloping the former Singing River Mall site. City leaders purchased the 55-acre property for $5 million with the help of $3.5 million in RESTORE Act funding and $1.5 million from a state Legislature bond bill.
The city intends to construct municipal facilities, a Mississippi Songwriters Performing Arts Center, and areas for businesses and multi- family housing.
"Things look bright and promising for the Coast," Lyons said. She added the chamber represents 993 businesses along the Coast with a diverse membership, including large, small, and medium-sized companies in a variety of industries, including 98 new members as of the end of June.
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