Gulfport Mississippi Updates

    Gulfport Mississippi Updates includes general business and community interest news occurring within the City of Gulfport Mississippi with an emphasis on positive events and activities in the Orange Grove area of Gulfport Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina struck South Mississippi in August 2005.

Update: Seashore Retirement Community

July 2011.

    The Seashore Retirement Community has been been formally named Seashore Highlands.  The Methodist Senior Services website has a few updates about the community... but the information is buried in very small print in graphics that are hard to read.  From what we can discern (using a magnifying glass!) the 12 million dollar Phase 1 of the development is underway with models of the independent living units to be completed any day now.  One of the independent living units is named the Dogwood, but no it is not named after us.  The major properties (club house and assisted living unit) of Seashore Highlands Phase 1 should be completed by June 2012.

Update: Gulfport Highlands Development

June 2011.

    An adjoining 9+ acre tax parcel of minimally developed land-locked residential zoned land is working its way through the Gulfport Planning Commission and City Council to be re-zoned as residential-commercial.  The unit of land adjoins the Highlands (commercial) Development.

    Previously the Highlands Development updated their permits with Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and per informed sources the project is nearly ready to proceed.

Unnamed Residential Development

June 2011.

    82.5 acres consisting of 5 tax parcels adjoining Three Rivers and O'Neal Roads as well as the Florence Gardens Development were approved for rezoning to R-1-7.5 (residential).  This was the largest continuous section of essentially undeveloped land on the western end of the Dedeaux - Three Rivers - O'Neal Rd - 605 area.

   With pending development of the 82.5 acre parcel, the only remaining significant parcel of land remaining on the western end of the Dedeaux - Three Rivers - O'Neal Rd - 605 area is the land locked 40 acre section situated between the ball fields (Jack and Florence Goldin Park), Holliman Place and Florence Gardens.

Lorraine Road Biloxi River Bridge

March 15, 2011.

    Harrison County has renewed their MDEQ permit for the Lorraine Road Biloxi River replacement bridge.  The permit calls for a 3,060 LF (linear feet) Bridge and 3,690 LF of Roadway to be constructed to replace the existing Lorraine Road Bridge crossing the Biloxi River.

    No time frame for starting the project has been announced.  Doubtful at this point there are funds available to complete the project, so the renewal process is to keep the permit active and prevent the project from having to repeat the environmental impact studies etc when the funds finally are made available.

Update: Seashore Retirement Community

March 15, 2011.

    The formal groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Seashore Retirement Community according to local news media reports.  No formal announcement regarding completion dates for any of the construction phases according to those same news reports or the Methodist Senior Services website.

Update: Gulfport Highlands Development
Update: Seashore Retirement Community

October 3, 2010.

    The building permit has been issued for $3.5 Million for the Seashore Retirement Community.

    The Sun Herald reported a building permit for $3.5 Million had been issued to the McCarty Company for Ollie Rd, but stated "no owner listed".  "No owner listed" is common for large projects, but with just 30 second of research, Dogwood Ceramic Supply was able to determine that the McCarty Company is the name of the architects performing the design options for the Mississippi Methodist Senior Services.  And of course the Ollie Rd site has been repeatedly named in the Army Corp of Engineer and MDEQ reports as well as zoning and planning requests before the City of Gulfport.  Pretty safe to say the Seashore Retirement Community project has cleared the last major hurdle and is ready to proceed.

    No news at this time concerning the start of the Gulfport Highlands Development.

    Where is Ollie Rd?  Ollie Rd, after intersecting Lorraine Rd just west of the Biloxi River Bridge, runs North-South a short distance basically parallel to MS 605.

    Evaluating the plans submitted to the Army Corp of Engineers, it is anticipated that much of the Seashore traffic will ingress and egress through the Highland Development to MS 605.  That said, Ollie Rd and Lorraine Rd could also be used for ingress and egress from the Seashore Community.  It would behoove the City of Gulfport to evaluate traffic conditions on these roads and plan for upgrading both Ollie and Lorraine Roads before traffic conditions worsen.

St. John Baptist Church

Announced:  November 2008
Ground Breaking:  January 2009
Completion:  September 2010

   Dogwood Ceramic Supply's newest neighbor, St. John Baptist Church, will have their ribbon cutting and dedication service Sunday, September 5, 2010.  It is truly a great day in the neighborhood.

   While the old sanctuary of the St. John Baptist Church was heavily damaged in Hurricane Katrina, St. John is not a Katrina victim, rather St. John was forced to relocate from 28th Street in Gulfport due the MDOT proposed I-10 / Port Connector which will divert the heavy traffic from the Gulfport Port away from already congested Hwy 49 which will become even more congested with the expansion of the Port of Gulfport unless the Port Connector road is completed over the next few years.

    The Port of Gulfport (Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport or MSPA) is completing their final application for the Port of the Future expansion project.  The Port of Gulfport will fill approximately 24 acres of land, raise the port elevation to 25' above mean high tide (for resistance to storm surge) and add additional facilities for cargo.

     Currently the Port of Gulfport is the 2nd largest importer of fresh fruit (2nd only to the Port of Wilmington Delaware, the current holder of "Top Banana Port" in the United States) and the 3rd busiest container port on the US Gulf of Mexico.  The Port of the Future expansion will allow the Port of Gulfport to actively compete for the large ship container business following the $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal in 2014 or 2015.  The State of Mississippi is projecting (following the Port of the Future expansion and the completion of the Panama Canal expansion) that the Port of Gulfport could become the largest container port in the Gulf of Mexico and one of the largest container ports in all of the United States.... and maybe even re-claim the crown of "Top Banana Port".

"Rooms to Go" Furniture Store is Relocating

August 2010.
     Gulfport's Rooms to Go furniture store is currently located in the old Rhodes Furniture showroom on Pass Road in Gulfport.  The building permit for the 32,000 sq ft. "Rooms to Go" showroom has been issued.  The address for the building permit places the building directly south of the Gulfport Sam's Club on Landon Rd at Old Hwy 49.

     We hope the City of Gulfport takes this opportunity to correct the traffic flow issues with Landon Rd and Old Hwy 49 area before the additional rumored development occurs in the area and limits the easy widening and/or  straightening of Landon Rd is possible.

Update: Gulfport Highlands Development
Update: Seashore Retirement Community

August 4, 2010.

    Update.  MDEQ has approved an additional 3.7 acres of land to be disturbed for the Seashore/Highlands development. 

Hurricane Katrina and the Gulfport Public Library

June 2010.

     The $6.5 Million building permit has been issued for the main branch of the Harrison County Public Library (aka Gulfport Public Library) according to the Sun Herald.

     The first floor of the Gulfport Library was gutted during Hurricane Katrina and the building has remained empty pending resolution of reconstruction or repurpose issues with FEMA and the City of Gulfport.

    The site for the new Gulfport Library is a semi-rural area of Old Hwy 49 near the Kenwood Subdivision and well above the flood plain for any future storms.

Dedeaux Road Widening Project Update

June 2010.

     There will be a public hearing concerning the Dedeaux Road Widening Project on Thursday, July 1, 2010 from 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm in the gymnasium of Crossroads Elementary on Klein Rd.  The preliminary environmental assessment report is also available for viewing at either Gulfport City Hall, Gulfport Fire Station 10, or the Gulfport Engineering Office on Hewes Ave.

Update: Gulfport Fire Station-7

May 2010

   The Sun Herald is reporting the building permit for Gulfport Station 7 has been issued to Starks Construction for $1.3 million.  Previously the City and news sources were reporting there was an issue with a protected tree (large oak trees most likely) on the property.  Obviously if the building permit has been issued the problem with the protected tree has been resolved.  Hopefully a repositioning of the building will preserve the tree or trees potentially affected.

Update: Gulfport Highlands Development
Update: Seashore Retirement Community

April 15 2010.

   The Seashore Retirement Community applied for a new construction permit with the Mississippi Dept of Environmental Quality.  Obviously the Seashore / Highland development has been cleared by the Army Corp of Engineers for the proposed fill of nearly 19 of 23 acres of wetlands found on the property if the MDEQ is now involved with the permitting process.

Dedeaux Road Widening Project Update

March 2010.

   In a news report at WLOX.com, the Commissioners of MDOT agreed to send the Environmental Assessment of the proposed Dedeaux Road to the Federal Highway Administration for approval before the project can be approved to receive Federal Funds, should such funds ever be available.

Gulfport Crime Mapping

Feb 2010

   The City of Gulfport is offering crimemapping to the citizens.  Crime Mapping is an actively updated local map with common major and minor crime reports.  The map is updated daily and can be modified to show crimes by neighborhood or specific types of crimes City wide.  The Crime Mapping (or a similar system) was requested by citizens active in the Neighborhood Watch programs to chart/report the crimes (vandalism, home burglary etc) that would not normally be reported by the mainstream news media.

Update: Allen Toyota development at Mississippi 605 and I-10

November 24 & 28, 2009.

   The building permit and media announcements for the long awaited Allen Toyota development at Mississippi 605 and I-10 have been published.  The Sun Herald is reporting the $14 million project will include an $8 million, 73,000 sq ft building to be completed in about 1 year on 12 acres of land with 4 acres of land held in reserve. However, the original plans for the development (published by the US Army Corp of Engineers) stated a 70,000 sq ft building on 12.11 acres and no mention of land held for reserve or supplemental construction projects.

   The Sun Herald has also announced that the Allen Hyundai dealership (currently renting the old Glass Motors property) will ultimately be relocated to the Toyota dealership location on Pass Road.

Update: DDR Gulfport Promenade

November 2009

    The national economic slow down has landed on Gulfport. The DDR Gulfport Promenade development (including the proposed Target store for Gulfport) is an obvious victim as the "For Sale" signs have mushroomed on the property.

   No word concerning the status of the $60 Million in Mississippi bond money which was backing the project.

Update: Gulfport Highlands Development
Update: Seashore Retirement Community

October 08, 2009

   First reported in early March of this year, the Gulfport Highlands Development and Seashore Retirement Community announced a joint project on Mississippi Hwy 605 at John Ross Road adjoining the new location of the First Baptist Church of Gulfport. The Highlands & Seashore developments have hit a small snag after 23 acres of wetlands were found on the property.

    Wetlands in general terms means land whose soil is saturated with moisture most of the year, such as drainage for waterways. However, some wetlands, such as upland pine savannahs, are considered wetlands because the soil readily retains water but the land does not actively drain into waterways.

    Judging by the topography of the land one suspects an upland pine savannah wetland is the issue with the Gulfport Highlands Development.

     The Gulfport Highlands and Seashore Community have applied for permission to fill nearly 19 of the 23 acres of wetlands found on the property, and if their application is approved they will purchase an appropriate number of mitigation credits from an approved wetland mitigation bank. Hopefully the approval for the application should be received in early November.

Three Rivers Road Widening Project

October 06, 2009.

   Three Rivers Road is being widened from 2 lanes to 3 lanes (adding a center turning lane) from Dedeaux Road north to O'Neal Road according to the City of Gulfport. The project is to be completed in 3 installments with the City of Gulfport sharing financial responsibility for the project with Harrison County and Clarence Chapmen, the developer of Holliman Place subdivision located in the undeveloped wooden area between Three Rivers Road and the Florence Gardens development.

   Site preparations (marking the margins and technical information of the road) is to start as soon as possible. The initial installment to be widened is the financial responsibility of the City of Gulfport.

   News media reports indicate Three Rivers Road will be closed for 3 months for the first (City of Gulfport) phase of the project. The entire project is estimated to cost approximately $700,000 with each participant to pay an equal share.

   The Three Rivers Road widening project strictly involves the City's existing right of way (easements) and will not negatively affect any resident or home along Three Rivers Road with the exception of a few mail boxes that may need to be relocated.

Dedeaux Road Widening Project Update

September 28, 2009.

   The long awaited Dedeaux Road widening project is on-again.  Or maybe not.  The City is still seeking Federal sources for the projected $20 million project.  At the present time the City is continuing to spend the $2 million originally allocated to fund the feasibility study and basic proposal.  The next step for the City is the MDOT required environmental study and approval with public meeting (s) during early 2010.

   If everything goes right and Uncle Sam funds the project, actual construction could start in 2012.

Graphic courtesy of the City of Gulfport website

Allen Toyota announces development at Mississippi 605 and I-10

July 16, 2009.

   Over the past couple weeks there has been a flurry of ground prep activity along the NE corner of Mississippi 605 and I-10.


    What, oh what could be coming to the intersection?

    The long rumored Allen Toyota development at Mississippi 605 and I-10 is finally no longer just a rumor as Allen Toyota Hyundai Scion has finally publically announced their plans to develop 12 acres of land adjoining the Mississippi 605 at I-10 for their automotive dealership. Gulfport's only Toyota dealership will be located along side of and behind the Sonic Drive-in and Kangaroo Gas Station facing Mississippi 605 and highly visible to I-10 traffic.

Now that the public announcement has been made, one can hope the construction will be completed rather quickly.

WLOX TV-13 Announces Digital Channel Change

June 24, 2009

    Prior to the National conversion (aka the Big Switch) from Analog to Digital TV on June 12th, WLOX had been previously broadcasting a digital signal on digital channel 39 for quite some time. When the National conversion took place on June 12th, WLOX choose to change their digital channel from channel 39 to digital channel 13, so as to match their traditional analog TV signal call sign and marketing name. Unfortunately, the digital channel 13 was designated a low powered signal by the FCC so as to not interfere with digital channel 13 in other markets (Baton Rouge, Birmingham and Panama City Florida) per the nice gentleman at WLOX who patiently explained the situation to this frustrated Digital OTA TV viewer. Why was the change in the digital channel an issue? Well, before the great switch, we were able to receive the OTA digital signal very well because the high broadcast strength of Digital Channel 39 compensated for the fact that our westward facing office windows were not well situated to receive the digital signal. By changing the signal strength, we were essentially locked out of receiving free OTA Digital TV signals from WLOX.

   Well WLOX has heard from their viewers (Dogwood Ceramic Supply and we are sure many others) and has made the decision to return the broadcast of their OTA digital signal to channel 39. Channel 39 is a high power digital channel because geographically there are no other television stations using that particular channel. This means Dogwood Ceramic Supply can again return to watching WLOX during business hours.... something we especially like to do just so as to keep up with local weather during the Hurricane Season.

   To WLOX, we say Thank You.

MDOT Improvements at Mississippi 605 and I-10

Update, June 23, 2009.

    Originally reported in February 2009, MDOT has completed the lighting improvements of the Mississippi Hwy 605 off and on ramps and adjoining roadways with an overhead lighting system similar to the system installed at the I-10 & US Hwy 49 interchange. The lighting towers are now operating. There may be some finishing work yet to do, but from all appearances the project is complete.

    With the higher visibility, the I-10 and Hwy 605 interchange should start growing. In one recent change, the McDonalds at the interchange has recently joined the Sonic Drive-in with 24-hour operation. The on-again, off-again plans to add hotels and additional restaurants in the area around the interchange should be back on because of the the increased lighting and resulting higher traffic levels.

Dedeaux Rd Community Center

Updated, June 22, 2009

    Originally reported in March 2009, the City of Gulfport has received the official notice from the State of Mississippi approving the proposed Dedeaux Road site for use as the Dedeaux Road Community Center. The Dedeaux Road Community Center is a FEMA-MEMA funded project to replace Gulfport's Charles L Walker Community Center which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The Construction Contract for the Dedeaux Road Community Center was approved by the City Council just two weeks later.

    The building permit has been finally issued for the Dedeaux Road Community Center, project value $5.5 Million. Land clearing began in April and construction forms for concrete slabs are starting to appear about the site.

Bel-Aire Baptist Church Expansion, Update

April 05, 2009

   As previous announced, Bel-Aire Baptist Church has plans for a plans for a new worship center. Dirt has been moved around in the field to the north side of the existing sanctuary during the past week, and $1.3 Million building permit was just published in The Sun Herald. No word on the plans for the existing sanctuary.

Gulfport Highlands Development

March 2, 2009

   Mississippi Hwy 605 at John Ross Road is site for the the long anticipated Gulfport Highlands Development.

   John Ross Road is the 2nd traffic light on Mississippi Hwy 605 north of I-10.

    The Gulfport Highlands Development was proposed as a mixed use development on 80 acres to include 600 apartment units plus single family homes and 200,000 square feet of appropriate commercial development to support the new urbanism philosophy of town centers and attractive neighborhoods. The Highlands Development has received approval for land clearing and preparation. No news as to when the Gulfport Highlands Development will start construction.

    The Gulfport Highlands Development, as well as the nearby Florence Gardens Development, was a key reason to support the relocation of The First Baptist Church of Gulfport to Mississippi Highway 605.

March 18, 2009 update: Land clearing has started.

Seashore Retirement Community

March 1, 2009

    Methodist Senior Services has purchased 20 acres for the construction of a new Seashore Retirement Community. According the Mississippi United Methodist Church, the new Seashore Retirement Community will be located on Mississippi Hwy 605 adjacent to the First Baptist Church of Gulfport and the Gulfport Highlands Development.

    The Seashore Retirement Community, home to 189 residents, was located on the Beach in Biloxi and was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

    The news release from the Mississippi Methodist Senior Services states the Seashore Retirement Community will consist of apartment homes, stand alone cottages as well as assisted living units. Construction of the Seashore Retirement Community is expected to start in the Spring of 2009 with completion in 2010.

Dedeaux Road and other nearby New Housing Projects

March 2009

    Florence Gardens has received the environmental permits to proceed with the 60+ acre Phase 2 of the Florence Gardens 420 acre development. Holliman Place, 132 single family homes to be constructed in 3 phases on 38 acres, has received their environmental permits to begin construction. Holliman Place is located between the Florence Gardens development and Three Rivers Road. At the eastern end of Dedeaux Rd, Sandstone Villas, a 92 unit apartment complex to be located east of Mississippi 605 at Dedeaux Road, is awaiting final approval from the City of Gulfport in order to begin construction.

    The Meadows of Gulfport has received the environmental permits to proceed with a 54 lot mixed residential subdivision on the west side of the Holliman Place development, between Holliman Place and Three Rivers Road.

DDR Gulfport Promenade Update

February 28, 2009

   The national economic slow down has obviously affected the DDR Gulfport Promenade development. However, in the past week there was a flurry of ground prep activity as the ground was cleared and fill dirt (clay) was added to a small parcel near the North Eastern Corner of the development South of Dedeaux Rd. No specific news as to what might be growing on that particular site, but logically it would be an out parcel most likely for a stand alone bank or restaurant.

   The same ground prep crew then moved north of Dedeaux Rd to the triangular strip of property between MS Hwy 605 and the old Lorraine Rd. This particular piece of property was created when Mississippi Hwy 605 split an undeveloped 39 acre tract of land. While never previously mentioned as part of the DDR Gulfport Promenade development (and being east of MS Hwy 605 is not part of the official development site), it does stand to reason the land would be used for a bank, restaurant or small stand alone retail establishment in conjunction with the Gulfport Promenade development.

St. John Baptist Church

January 11, 2009

     Dogwood Ceramic Supply's newest neighbor, St. John Baptist Church, held their Ground Breaking Ceremony and released the artist rendering of the new church on January 11, 2009. Architect is Philip Shaw of the Shaw Design Group.

The Trees are Coming DOWN

November 28-29, 2008

    Those familiar with Dogwood Ceramic Supply are also familiar with the heavily overgrown lot with many pine trees between our store and the small house located next to Ramsey Memorial United Methodist Church. Many of the pine trees in the wooded lot can be seen in the center and right background of the Dogwood Ceramic Supply showroom picture.

   The trees are coming down, the lot is being cleaned up. The small house is coming down.
Coming Soon.... St. John Baptist Church.

   The two lots (the heavily wooded lot and the small house) were joined into a single 3.8 acre property so that St. John Baptist Church can relocate from 28th Street in Gulfport.

   Please note: The St. John Baptist Church property does not immediately join the Dogwood property as there is a small private drive located between the two properties to allow access to several homes located to the rear of the Church Property.

   St. John Baptist Church is a $2.8 million project according to the published building permit.  No news yet on the physical size of the project.

Westminster Academy Relocation

November 25, 2008

   Florence Gardens is reporting the building plans for relocating Westminster Academy to the 420 acre Florence Garden development are progressing nicely. For those unaware, Florence Gardens is a planned community located on O'Neal Rd in Gulfport with homes in the $400,000 to $1 Million+ range and will include 100 acres of preserved green space, spring feed lakes and a small commercial district.

   Geographically, Florence Gardens is located between O'Neal Road and Dedeaux Road, just about directly north of Dogwood Ceramic Supply.  In fact, Latimer Road, which borders the western edge of Dogwood Ceramic Supply's property, will wind around the southern and eastern edges of Florence Gardens.  At this point there has been no announcement of connecting Latimer Road with Florence Gardens.

Bel-Aire Baptist Church Expansion

November 24, 2008

    Bel-Aire Baptist Church, 15080 Dedeaux Road Gulfport, has announced their plans for a new worship center. Bel-Aire Baptist Church is the traditional red-bricked church near the western end of Dedeaux Road. The new facility will be built to north side of the existing facility.

DDR Gulfport Promenade Update

October 20, 2008

   1) The old Waring Oil and Neill Gas facility is being dismantled this week in preparation for DDR Gulfport Promenade shopping mall.

   2) Create, a New York City based architectural firm has posted artist renderings for the new DDR Gulfport Promenade shopping mall. Because of Dedeaux Road intersecting with MS Hwy 605, the mall project is split into two physical sections. Gulfport Promenade South is listed as 353,555 square foot "Power Center" with 3 anchor stores plus 45,000 square feet of additional smaller retailer space. Gulfport Promenade North is listed as 342,000 "New Life Style Center" that will include a "Main Street" plus small anchor stores. The term "Power Center" and "New Life Style Center" are used to describe the type of shopping mall or layout of the shopping mall.

Congregation Beth Israel to have Groundbreaking on October 26

October 17, 2008

   The only Jewish synagogue in South Mississippi is relocating to Orange Grove area of Gulfport due to Hurricane Katrina having severely damaged the old synagogue located at the corner of Southern Avenue and Camellia Street just north of Hwy 90 in Biloxi. The groundbreaking will be held on Sunday October 26 at the new synagogue location, 12277 Three Rivers Road, about 1 mile north of Dedeaux Road and just south of O'Neal Road. The synagogue is being built on land donated by Martin Goldin and will include nearly 5,100 square feet of sanctuary, social hall capable of seating 200 as well as classrooms and a library.  Construction should be completed in the Spring of 2009. Since Hurricane Katrina, Congregation Beth Israel has been meeting at Beauvoir United Methodist Church in Biloxi.

   Update, May 2009. The synagogue has been completed and the congregation has moved into the new facility.

First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport to have Groundbreaking

October 17, 2008

    Shortly after Hurricane Katrina the First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport had announced they would relocate to Mississippi Hwy 605 along with the First Baptist Church of Gulfport. The long awaited announcement of the First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport has been made. The formal groundbreaking will happen this Sunday at 2:30 PM.

    The new First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport was designed by Guild Hardy Architects and will include over 18,000 square feet of Phase 1 development shown above, with plans for Phase 2 already started. The church will be located on about 10 acres of land fronting O'Neal Road at the intersection of O'Neal Rd and Mississippi Hwy 605 (about 1/2 mile north of First Baptist Church of Gulfport) and will have seating for 250 plus classrooms, gymnasium and offices. Since Hurricane Katrina, First Presbyterian Church has been meeting at Bayou View Elementary School. For complete information on the development please visit fpcgulfport.org and follow the links to "New Church" as well as the blog with pictures devoted to the new church development.

    Update, December 14, 2008. Building permit has been issued. $4.6 Million for the 1st phase of the project.

    Update, January 07, 2010.  First phase of the project is complete.  The church is relocating to their new facility.

Groundbreaking for the Gulf Coast Bridge Club

October 7, 2008

    The Gulf Coast (Gulfport) Bridge Association is having a groundbreaking ceremony for their new 5,100 sq ft building on 4th St at Three Rivers Road, just one block north of the Three Rivers and Dedeaux Rd intersection. The new building is expected to be completed around the end of 2008. The OLD building was located on Oleander St, about 1/2 block north of US Hwy 90. Oleander is 5 blocks east of Dolan St (Lynn Meadows Discovery Center) and 3 blocks west of Mississippi 605 (Cowan-Lorraine Rd with Gulfport Fire Station-7). Of course everybody knows what happened to any building that close to the water during Hurricane Katrina and the old Gulf Coast Bridge Club building was no exception.

Plans for Gulfport Fire Station-7 have been released

October 5, 2008

    The Sun Herald has reported the plans for Gulfport Fire Station 7 are complete and will include beach inspired architecture and bays at least 40' long so as to hold another 100' platform aerial truck.

    (Yes there are factual errors in the Sun Herald story. What can we expect from a newspaper with the nickname "The Daily Error"?)

DDR Gulfport Promenade Update

September 19, 2008

    Waring Oil and Neill Gas have moved from their Mississippi Hwy 605 location (situated to side and rear of McDonald's) to 12202 Hwy 67 North in Woolmarket (Exit 41 from I-10). Neill Gas has been providing propane for Dogwood Ceramic Supply's forklift since the day we acquired the forklift. We will miss having propane gas refills so convenient, but having the Waring Oil and Neill Gas complex relocate is critical for clearing the land for the DDR Gulfport Promenade Mall development.

Gulfport Fire Department's Ladder 10 joins Gulfport Fire Station 10.

September 16, 2008

   Gulfport Fire Department Engine 10 (E-10), a rescue-pumper, has been joined by Ladder 10.  Ladder 10 is a 100' ladder which was previously the main ladder truck from the Gulfport Central Fire Station in downtown Gulfport. Ladder 10 has been relocated to Fire Station 10 until such time that the new Fire Station 9 is built and ready to accept the large ladder.  The City of Gulfport has recently purchased a new 100' aerial platform ladder from E-One as the main ladder truck for the Central Fire Station thus allowing a large ladder truck to be located in the Orange Grove area of Gulfport to support existing businesses and future economic development in this area.  Located between Engine 10 and Ladder 10 and slightly hiding behind the brick column separating the garage doors is a small skiff used as a rescue boat for inland waterway rescues.

Dedeaux Road Widening Project is Progressing

September 16, 2008

   Traffic Counters have been installed all along Dedeaux Road and adjoining roadways as part of the $15 million project to widen Dedeaux Road from Three Rivers Road to Lorraine Road (MS Hwy 605). Currently $2 million is budgeted for engineering, environmental, route selection and right of way acquisitions. Engineering began in December 2007 with completion of plans expected in December 2008. The 18-month construction project to widen approximately 2.5 miles of roadway has an estimated start date in fiscal year 2010.

    The Dedeaux Road Widening Project will affect Dogwood Ceramic Supply as our showroom and warehouse is in the area to be widen. While we dread any disruptions the road construction may cause, we also realize this project should have been completed many years ago and is in the best interest of the entire community.

First Baptist Church of Gulfport

September 14, 2008

Construction is complete and the new campus of the First Baptist Church of Gulfport was dedicated today.       The new church campus is situated on approximately 35 acres at 12190 Hwy 605 Gulfport Mississippi, about 1 mile north of I-10.    According to the First Baptist Church, the 56,000 square foot facility, seen below, is the FIRST of 4 phases.

   A big improvement versus the remnants of the Gulfport First Baptist Church courtesy of Hurricane Katrina.

Yellow Freight Moving Day

August 15, 2008

    It is moving day at the Gulfport Mississippi Roadway and Yellow Freight terminal located on Dedeaux road. The new terminal is located on Seaway Road. For the Out-of-Towner's, Seaway Road runs between Lorraine Road (Mississippi 605) and Three Rivers Road, parallel to I-10, while Dedeaux Road (the road which Dogwood Ceramic Supply is located) runs between Lorraine Road, crosses Three Rivers Road to U.S. Hwy 49, also parallel to I-10. Why is Roadway and Yellow Freight relocating their terminal? Ah, the $64,000 question. The answer is actually pretty simple: Because DDR Gulfport Promenade needed the land for their development on Dedeaux Road at Mississippi 605.

    DDR (Developers Diversified Realty) is the real estate development group that owns Crossroads Center (the 540,00 square foot open-air shopping center along US Hwy 49 just north of I-10) and has had long term plans to develop a similar shopping complex on Mississippi 605 at Dedeaux Road. The initial plans for DDR Gulfport Promenade included about 40 acres of retail mall space on the south side of Dedeaux Rd at MS 605 and a similar sized development on the north side of Dedeaux Rd, but some media accounts are stating 100 total acres will be developed.

    And the Roadway/Yellow Freight terminal was occupying premium land within the development area. So DDR purchased a nice chunk of property in the industrial park along Seaway Road and built a larger terminal for Yellow Freight Systems to use for both Roadway and Yellow Freight.

    Signage is already up stating the DDR Gulfport Promenade to be on track for a Fall of 2009 opening.  And according to SEC filings as well as media reports, DDR has secured $60 Million in Gulf Opportunity Zone tax-free bonds issued by the State of Mississippi for the Gulfport Promenade project so the project must be developed within the time limits of the bonds.

     SO... what stores will be located in the Gulfport Promenade Mall?  No list of stores has been made available as of this moment. We can be fairly certain that Best Buy is not going to be located in the Gulfport Promenade Mall as Best Buy is currently completing a new store on US Hwy 49 across from Crossroads Mall.  Obviously no stores would relocate from Cross Roads Mall either. The DDR development at MS 605 was long rumored to be the site of Gulfport's Target Store, but with Target purportedly planning a store in the new mall at I-10 and I-110 in d'Iberville, it would seem doubtful that Target would have two stores within a couple Interstate exits from each other.  Even without Target at Gulfport Promenade, we can expect a strong mix of national and large regional chains typically found in DDR developments.

   Of course we can still hope for Target!

   What about McDonald's on MS 605? No specific news, but most rumors on the street speculate that McD's will remain in the current location.

   The only other business to remain within the DDR Gulfport Promenade development area is Gulfport Fire Station 10 located on Dedeaux Road just over 1/4 mile from MS 605. Fire Station 10 is at the furthermost edge of the proposed development area and development to any point further West is not possible due to the utility easement, so we are fairly certain that Fire Station 10 is not moving.  Which is good news because Gulfport Fire Department has plans for Station 10.

   At the western end of Dedeaux Road is Gulfport Fire Station 9.  Station 9 is an old structure that in preceding days was used as an industrial garage and then later as the Orange Grove Volunteer Fire Department.  When Gulfport annexed this area the OG-VFD garage was quickly converted to a small fire station for use by the City. Needless to say Station 9 is just barely able to suffice as a fire station, much less as the major fire station needed for the Orange Grove area of Gulfport, and is far too small to house a large ladder truck.  With the large malls and multi-story developments (Garden Park Hospital and the new 6 story Holiday Inn come to mind) along Hwy 49 as well as north of I-10, it is becoming increasingly important for Gulfport Fire Department to locate a large ladder truck somewhere north of I-10.  During this spring, the City of Gulfport authorized the purchase of 4 acres of land on Dedeaux Road, close to the Fire Station 9's current location, as well as a new 100' aerial platform E-One ladder truck.

(Gulfport Fire Department Ladder Trucks in action.
Undated photo courtesy of Gulfport Fire Department)

    The City's long term plans are to house the old main ladder truck at Gulfport Fire Station 9.  But, since it will take nearly 2 years to build the new fire station, in the mean time the big truck will be housed at Gulfport Station 10.... Station 10 is only 1 mile from Dogwood Ceramic Supply.

   At the southern end of MS 605, Gulfport Fire Station 7 is being relocated to higher ground.  Fire Station 7 will still be located on Cowan (Lorraine) Rd, also known as MS 605, just a few hundred yards to the north of the current location.  Yes, it really is higher ground.  The future site is near the surge line of Hurricane Katrina. Unfortunately Station 7 must be located in that general area because the fire station primarily serves the population that lives SOUTH of the CSX railroad.  Since Congress failed to allocate the funds to relocate the CSX railroad after Hurricane Katrina (and people live south of the CSX railroad) Gulfport is forced to locate fire stations south of the CSX railroad.

   The new Fire Station 7 will be larger than the old Station 7... with plans to locate another aerial platform truck at Fire Station 7 sometime in the future due to condo growth along the beach (US Hwy 90) as well as business development along MS 605.

    What other development is occurring along MS 605? For Dogwood Ceramic Supply's purposes we are really on concerned with the development along MS 605 in the area north of I-10.

   The first project to be completed in this area is the Gulfport's First Baptist Church.  Construction of the large church campus on MS 605 about 1/2 mile North of I-10 was essentially completed a few weeks ago, with minor finishing works and landscaping yet to be completed.

   There are other developments are in the works. We will update as permits are issued or ground is broken.

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12590 Dedeaux Road
Gulfport Mississippi, 39503
Telephone (228) 831-4848        Fax (228) 831-3111

Showroom Business Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday 10AM to 5PM
Thursday 1PM to 6PM

Closed Wednesday and Sunday

General business and community news occurring within the City of Gulfport with a primary emphasis on positive events in the Orange Grove area of Gulfport.