Wednesday was a celebration years within the making for Biloxi because the new Rouses Market opened and a groundbreaking ceremony signaled the conclusion of a brand new Popp’s Ferry connector highway from Move Street to the seaside.
The announcement that Rouses was opening came in January 2023, after its location sat empty for five years. The 60,000-square-foot constructing was gutted and rebuilt with all the latest grocery expertise and providers.
Building of the connector highway is now not years sooner or later. After 35 years of discuss a direct path to the seaside, work is scheduled to begin Nov. 25, with the highway opening by the top of 2026.
Rouses opening
The celebration started at 8 a.m. with the ribbon slicing at Rouses, the fifth within the chain in Mississippi and the second this 12 months, after the opening in Picayune in September.
“We’re proud to have this ‘tremendous’ market in our metropolis,” mentioned Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich, emphasizing the phrase tremendous.
The huge parking zone was jammed, but the shop was capable of take in the crowds that unfold out for a primary buying journey and go searching.
“That is like Christmas,” mentioned Jane Shambra, who walked the few blocks from her house to the shop, and mentioned she likes Rouses’ concentrate on regional produce and identify manufacturers.
“I really feel like I’m in Disney World,” mentioned Tina Ross-Seamans, director of the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce, who additionally lives just some blocks away. She got here for the ribbon slicing and stayed for breakfast within the cafe.
“I already can’t wait to come back again,” mentioned Alex Bosarge of Biloxi, who got here on opening day particularly to purchase parmigiano reggiano cheese.
The shop is the newest and biggest, measured in sq. toes as one of many largest of Rouses 65 different shops and with all the newest enhancements.
It has a boiling room the place they’re boiling blue crabs, crawfish and Gulf shrimp, mentioned CEO Donny Rouse, the third technology of the Rouse household working the shops. It additionally a smokehouse with all of the Cajun specialties. “Every little thing’s wrapped in bacon and seasoned up as properly,” he mentioned.
The corporate tries to supply the identical merchandise in any respect the shops throughout the corporate. “That manner prospects get the identical expertise,” he mentioned. Nevertheless, alcohol gross sales aren’t allowed in Mississippi, one thing he mentioned is an enormous a part of their shops in Louisiana.
The Biloxi retailer is barely about 5 miles down the highway from the Gulfport Rouses, with one other Rouses on the opposite aspect of the Biloxi bridge in Ocean Springs.
“We simply noticed a spot out there in Biloxi, the place we had loads of Biloxi residents touring to these different shops,” Rouse mentioned. “So we felt that we will put one in all our greatest shops right here in Biloxi and we will save these prospects a while, in addition to filling that void out there.”
It’s additionally a loyalty consideration. “Individuals wish to be in their very own city. They wish to preserve these tax {dollars} of their city. Make use of the individuals of their city. Biloxi wanted a grocery retailer like Rouses,” he mentioned.
Sparking growth
The brand new Rouses is anticipated to deliver extra enterprise to west Biloxi.
“It’s already having an impression,” mentioned Jerry Creel, Biloxi’s neighborhood growth director.
The buying middle is getting a facelift from finish to finish and a Chick-fil-A restaurant in the identical advanced will draw much more, he mentioned.
Just a few areas stay open within the buying middle close to Rouses and John Landry, a associate in X3 Tango Growth that owns the buying middle, mentioned it’s too early to call any new tenants.
“And this is only one of many new issues that’s going to be coming to the Biloxi space,” he mentioned of Rouses.
Councilman Rodney McGilvary mentioned he thinks the brand new Rouses and the straight shot to the seaside will carry that complete space in west Biloxi and open land on either side of the Popp’s Ferry extension to extra growth.
New highway to the seaside
After years of planning the route and buying proper of manner, the 1.5-mile Popp’s Ferry connector highway is able to go.
It is going to be a four-lane highway with sidewalks, a brand new entrance to the Coast Coliseum and Conference Middle plus a tunnel underneath the highway to permit car and pedestrian entry to the coliseum’s west parking zone.
Additionally a part of the undertaking is a redesign of the intersection of Popp’s Ferry and Move Street, with flip lanes to cut back congestion, particularly when Keesler Air Drive Base lets out, mentioned Mike Leonard, Biloxi’s chief administrative officer.
The $20.8 million undertaking was awarded to Necaise Brothers Building after a money and time bidding course of to get the highway executed rapidly, mentioned Steve Twedt, space supervisor for Neel-Shaffer engineering.
Neel-Shaffer has labored on the undertaking for years, even earlier than the route for the road, taking it across the coliseum’s parking storage, was determined in 2016.
He mentioned when a proposed connector highway from Woolmarket to the seaside was by no means constructed, former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran’s workplace labored to get the $6 million earmarked for that highway switched to this undertaking.
That $6 million lined all of the environmental research, preliminary engineering and property acquisition for the correct of manner, Twedt mentioned.
“It serves a site visitors want,” he mentioned of the brand new highway, and likewise doubtlessly opens up west Biloxi to financial growth.
Getting individuals into and out of live shows and different occasions on the coliseum must be a lot simpler with the brand new highway, mentioned Matt McDonnell, govt director.
“Anytime we will get extra exits and entrances, that ought to do nothing however assist us,” he mentioned.
The tunnel underneath the brand new highway will likely be increased than a typical parking storage and provides entry to the west parking zone, one of many largest on the coliseum, McDonnell mentioned.
Individuals must get accustomed to the brand new site visitors patterns. These coming from Biloxi will be capable of flip proper into the Coliseum entrance. These coming east from Gulfport will flip left onto the brand new part of Popp’s Ferry Street, then proper into a brand new entrance.
The largest problem was discovering the funds to cowl the development, mentioned Rep. Kevin Felsher, who made it a precedence.
“We cobbled collectively some Gulf Coast restoration funds,” he mentioned, together with cash from Mississippi Division of Transportation, Gulf Coast Regional Planning and different sources.
“Once we began working as a crew, the board of supervisors, town, the coliseum, the state, we have been capable of get the sum of money crucial and the teamwork and dedication crucial to do that undertaking,” he mentioned.
The brand new highway will support with hurricane evacuation and open a business growth hall, he mentioned, with undeveloped land on either side of the boulevard. For the reason that new highway will hook up with a federal freeway, “This might ultimately result in funding for the Popp’s Ferry Bridge, which is the last word huge image factor right here that we’re ,” he mentioned.
“And simply the general outlook for west Biloxi will get a complete lot higher as soon as that is executed,” he mentioned.
