Art, music and belly dancing on tap for First Friday

Main Street’s “Finally! First Friday,” the monthly downtown street fair, will include an art walk with belly dancing, free beignets and music from a DJ, all coming together this evening from 5 to 8 in downtown Biloxi.

In addition, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held for Salt Cloth, a new business opening near the Le Café beignet shop, at Rue Magnolia and Jackson Street.

DJ Nikki Stylz & Ian Sinclair Phillips will be offering music, while Gallery 782 will feature artists Phillip and Gail Pine, and Mary Beth Evans.

Those attending First Friday will have a chance to win a $100 gift card.

See the complete weekend lineup

 

Development report: Hotel planned at former west Biloxi hospital

By Jerry Creel, Community Development Director

This week in economic development, the Biloxi Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve a zoning change from NB Neighborhood Business, to CB Commercial Business for the former Gulf Regional Hospital on Debuys Road, to be converted to a 171 room hotel.

The planning commission’s recommendation will now go before the city council for final consideration. If approved, extensive renovations for the “to be named” hotel will include a full restaurant and a new swimming pool.

Also this week, site work has begun for the new Sal & Mookie’s Restaurant on Lameuse Street. The $1.5 million dollar project will add pizza and ice cream to our inventory of downtown restaurants. During the month of August, our department issued 305 building permits with a total construction valuation of $12.8 million dollars.

 

News and notes

Webcasting: We haven’t had a hurricane threat this year – knock on wood – but that doesn’t mean the Hurricane Hunters haven’t been busy. Learn more about their adventures – and hear about the city budget – in this week’s City Desk webcast, which was taped and published online Thursday. To listen to the program, click here.

Council meeting: The City Council will have a special meeting on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 to approve the municipal budget for Fiscal Year 2015, which runs from Oct. 1, 2014 to Sept. 30, 2015. To see the agenda for the meeting, click here.

A Point Cadet Plaza milestone: The Biloxi Seafood Festival, the Biloxi chamber’s annual entertainment-laden celebration of Biloxi culinary arts, returns to its pre-Katrina location at Point Cadet when the curtain is raised next weekend on the 33rd Annual Biloxi Seafood Festival. It will mark the first major event at the plaza since it opened in July. For details on the seafood fest, click here.

A golden anniversary: Mayor A.J. Holloway and members of the Biloxi City Council on Tuesday honored Stanley C. Dellenger on the golden anniversary of his firm, Stanley C. Dellenger Roofing and Sheet Metal. To read more about the milestone and to see pictures from the City Council meeting on Tuesday, click here.

Development agenda: One case, a new medical building off Cedar Lake Road, is on the agenda for the Development Review Committee meeting next week. To see the agenda, click here.

Stadium work: Construction workers have been pouring footings at the downtown stadium site this week. Erection of steel is expected to occur in mid- to late October. To see photos taken earlier this week, click here.