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Long Beach Casino Site Voting Postponed
November 20, 2018 Jim Murphy
The photos of the Long Beach casino, set up to become the city’s first gambling venue, emerged a few days ago. Whether Mississippi will be getting a new land-based casino facility is currently unknown, considering that the voting has been postponed.
Those for and against the resort, will have to wait for AT LEAST another month to learn whether the old K-Mart property will become a legal casino site.
The Mississippi Gaming Commission opted for putting this subject in the shelf and the decision is expected in the months. The site approval request was filed by Long Beach Harbor Resort.
According to the Commission Chairman Al Hopkins, the regulatory body needs to conduct further investigation before the site is approved. He said: “It gives us the opportunity to review the casino proposal and make sure we are following the regulations to a T.”
However:
Commissioner Jerry Griffith also stated his mind saying that delaying such process is not the common practice.
The next meeting of the commission is scheduled for December 20th in Jackson.
All You Should Know About the Resort
The photos which are released, clearly show where the resort will be located. In case the site is approved, the building will be constructed north of US 90 and east of Jeff Davis Avenue.
Meanwhile…
…the casino would be in the part of the building which is facing the highway.
It is important to note, that the new construction will be placed within 800 feet of the mean high water line – something that is required by the state law. Even though it is not confirmed at this point, various games will be offered to the public such as roulette, blackjack, slots…
The casino is expected to be enormous – at least 40,000 square feet! Besides that, a 300-room hotel will be a part of the resort and the rooms will be arranged in a tower consisting of seven floors. Therefore, the construction will abide by the city’s height restrictions.
The Renderings See Light of the Day
The first photos of the proposed casino resort saw the light of the day, but the developers noted that these were only renderings and not the actual construction documents. Speaking of the documents, they are yet to be submitted.
Long Beach Harbor Resort LLC was ed two years ago which is the time when the casino ideas were batted with. The head of the company which is going to build this property in case all the permissions are acquired is businessman Jim Parish. He also has a lease for the city-owned property south of the US 90.
Long-Lasting Process
Site approval may be a crucial step, but it is just a drop in the ocean. In this case, for example, the project was introduced two years ago…
…however, the voting for the construction of a casino took place all the way back in 2006! During this event, 39% of eligible voters cast their votes and 55% were in favor of the casino.
The main concerns of those against are increase in crime, congested traffic and the rise of property values.
The Authorities Want a Casino
Mayor George Bass mentioned that Long Beach is a stagnant place and it needs something to liven it up. As he believes, “so much positive can come out of this.” With the casino constructed, the Beatline Road would become a four-lane road branching from Interstate 10.
This is essential for attracting more businesses and improving the infrastructure in the area, while part of the revenue would go to schools as well, says the mayor.
When the site is approved, the developers usually take years to plan and finance the project, meaning that this resort will not be built overnight.
And while Long Beach waits for their first casino, Mississippi has made a major step forward towards sports betting. And they are already reaping large profits.
Source:
“Vision revealed for Long Beach casino. Mayor says city is ‘stagnant’ and needs the tax revenue.”, Mary Perez, sunherald.com, November 15th, 2018
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This will be a good thing for the city but not everyone is happy with the casino though. Still, it will be years before the whole thing is completed, but I’m not sure why the site approval is postponed. Not much will change in a month or two.