Biloxi Mayor Andrew Gilich spoke earlier this week detailing further details about the upcoming $1.2 billion hotel and casino project in the city.
Further Details about Biloxi Hotel and Casino Surface
The $1.2 billion resort in Biloxi was until recently only a concept, but the UMUSIC Broadwater hotel and casino is now heading for reality following a further reveal of project-related details on Thursday.
Mayor Andrew Gilich held a press conference at the Biloxi Visitors Center fleshing out details about the project and its expected economic impact on the city. According to Gilich, the project should pull 2 million people to the city yearly.
Detailing the concept, Dakia Global U-Ventures, the company to carry out work on the project, argued that construction could begin in 2021 and should be finalized by late 2023 at the outside. According to Robert Lavia, chairman of the music company, the project will feature a number of amenities.
For starters, it will lead to 2,500 new jobs and 1,150 hotel rooms. There will be 1,000 construction jobs available as well as various entertainment venues. Outlining further details, Lavia said that people would be “wowed” whenever they took a look at the project.
A special 12,000-seat entertainment venue will arrive in the middle of the hotel. The facility will have a glass dome that can resist winds of up to 160 miles per hour. Commenting on their choice of venue, UMUSIC pointed to the rich music culture in the region and specifically Mississippi.
Gov. Tate Reeves seconded that opinion outlining Mississippi as the birthplace of American music, citing Elvis, Jimmy Rodgers and BB Kings among others as the forefathers of music in the US.
Investors’ Confidence Remains Strong in Mississippi
Investing over $1.2 billion to make this happen, UMUSIC feels confident in executing the project properly. Lavia confirmed that the resort will tap into artificial intelligence and holograms to bring an unparalleled experience.
The property itself will sprawl on 266 acres and received an approval by the Biloxi City Council back in June. The new resort is more expensive than the one that Steve Wynn opened in Biloxi in 1999. Wynn’s property carried an estimated $800 million price tag. Lavia was enthusiastic about the project, and had this to add:
“Through this new concept, we will both help people discover new ways to channel their love for music and the arts and help empower the transformation of communities worldwide through cultural, inspirational, creative and conscious collaboration.”
-UMUSIC chairman Robert Lavia
The property will be located in Beach Boulevard as any new casinos must be within 800 feet of the water line, as per the state’s regulations. UMUSIC has already submitted plans for the casino to the Mississippi Gaming Commission earlier this year.
While Mississippi has been affected at large by the novel coronavirus lockdown, Coastal Mississippi CEO Milton Segarra said that a substantial amount of private investors are flocking back to the state, not least the $1.2 billion Biloxi project.
Gov. Reeves seemed positive about the upcoming project, arguing that the casino industry has been contributing a tremendous amount of tax revenue towards Mississippi and providing locals with jobs.