A $700 million casino and convention center is proposed for the former Tivoli Hotel site on Casino Row in East Biloxi. The site, from this aerial on July 30, 2015, is the wooded area to the left of Harrah’s Gulf Coast (the tan and white building north of U.S. 90) and the Biloxi Yacht Club.
Justin Mitchell
Now two casino projects have site approval in east Biloxi.
The Mississippi Gaming Commission on Thursday granted Biloxi Capital’s request for a casino site, said Biloxi attorney Michael Cavanaugh, who represented the developers.
Before construction can begin, the developers must return to the Gaming Commission with documents to show they have the financial backing to meet the requirements for a casino on the Gulf Coast, and show they have money to complete and open the resorts.
The latest proposal from Danny Conwill, who has worked for nearly two decades to get a casino project built on the Tivoli site, was for:
- 1,300-room hotel
- 100,000-square-foot casino
- 2,000 slot machines
- 75 table games
- Sports book
- A convention space and other amenities also have been proposed.
Second casino also has approval
The Gaming Commission in December granted site approval to the Tullis Gardens casino in east Biloxi, a few blocks from the Biloxi Capital site, on the condition that legal matters can be settled with the Secretary of State over tidelands issues.
Luke Lenzi, the attorney and CEO of the Tullis Gardens casino, said it could take years to get the lawsuit settled.
“At this rate, we’re at least three years out from clearing the litigation to appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court and millions of dollars in legal expenses,” he said. “There can be no real significant development on the Coast in that type of environment. The city and all the parties need to come together and work together for the betterment of One Coast.”
The resort is proposed to have a 300 room hotel, 53,280 square foot casino floor, 909 slot machines, 35 table games, a sports book and restaurants other amenities.
A rendering of the night view shows the proposed Tullis Garden Hotel in East Biloxi from a pier that is part of the project.
Frank Genzer Architects
Years to site approval
Biloxi Capital and Conwill purchased the Tivoli site after Hurricane Katrina for $40 million. The 32-acre property is bordered by Holley Street on the west, Biloxi Yacht Club on the east, Howard Avenue on the north, and U.S. 90 and the Mississippi Sound on the south.
Site approval for the Tivoli/Biloxi Capital casino was twice tabled, most recently in January, when the Gaming Commission moved the monthly meeting to Biloxi from Jackson to allow comment from local government officials and casino operators.
The project also faced legal challenges from the secretary of state over the plan to lease a pier to provide the required connection from the water to the casino floor.
The waterfront in that area of Biloxi was zoned for casinos in 2007 by the Biloxi City Council, but site approval for this casino was never secured until Thursday. This same property, west of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, was proposed in 2007 as a $1 billion Tivoli Casino.
