Golden Nugget closing on casino property

By TOM WILEMON

BILOXI – Landry’s Restaurants Inc. began closings Tuesday on 23 parcels of private land on Point Cadet where the company wants to put a Golden Nugget Casino and Biloxi Boardwalk tourist attraction.

The company moved forward with its contract before reaching an agreement with the city of Biloxi to lease the waterfront land that it must control before it can build a casino.

“We’re looking forward to working with the city,” said Edward W. Engel, corporate counsel for Landry’s. “We’re trying to digest all this today. We’re buying 23 residential lots, which is about 5.5 acres. Once we absorb this, we will be able to get our thoughts together so we can go back to the city.”

The Biloxi City Council rejected a prior offer from Landry’s to lease the land on Dec. 12. The private property the company is buying is on Point Cadet behind the Seafood Industry Museum and Point Cadet Plaza. Isle of Capri Casinos Inc., which has a right of first refusal to the city waterfront, has also said it would like to lease the land from Biloxi.

See Wednesday’s Sun Herald for more details about the real estate closings and the comeback of the Biloxi casino market.

Â Source: Sun Herald