RSS Feed

Tech Support

The $1 billion Broadwater Resort proposal passed the Biloxi Planning Commission on Thursday, and plans for future steps must be approved by the commission.

After about three hours of discussion, the developers of the 261-acre condo, hotel and casino resort have achieved a height difference, which would allow them to build one structure at 403 feet, as opposed to 220 feet set out in the city's land development ordinance.

Now, the plan will go ahead to get final approval from the City Council.

The Broadwater plan calls for two casinos: one on the site of the Broadwater Hotel and the other south of U.S. 90.

Mark Calvert, who gave a presentation on behalf of the developers, said the project could be completed by December 2008.

"I don't think the city has ever seen a project this big, and I don't think it's probably going to see another project this big," said Calvert.

The Broadwater Resort will be built on the site with a total of 3,375 condos and 1,900 hotel rooms, along with an 18-hole golf course, with the possibility of a condominium on the former Broadwater Sun golf course site. The 180-acre golf course will also feature retail stores along its edges.

Broadwater Development LLP is a partnership formed by coastal businessmen W.C. "Cotton" Foer and Roy Anderson III, who own 261 acres involved in the project.

The plans also included one exit near the post office, a three-way traffic light in the resort area from Gym Money Road to Pass Road. This raised the ire of Terrence Young, a resident who lives on Grady Drive in the east of the project. He also said that the project was going too fast.

"We're not talking about a small decentralization request," Young said. "We're talking about practical exceptions to the law in the book."

Ed Shambra, the planning director, said the committee should ask developers to provide more specific information, including details related to property entrances.

Shambra also said he was concerned that the group was requesting distribution of parking spaces. That's about 1.8 units per unit, less than the typical 2.5 units per unit.

"Obviously, this is a very complex application," he said.

Calvert said the project is expected to cost about $1 billion, and the Broadwater resort is not government-run with $6.5 million in tax revenue per month based on research on developers" economic impact.

Calvert said one of the selling points of the project is that it aligns with the design concept laid out by the governor's commission, promoting the site's "walkability" and mix of residential and commercial structures.