MISSISSIPPI – Residents of Long Beach will be able to express their views on proposed zoning regulations for casinos, condominiums and educational districts at a March 6 public hearing.
The proposed regulations were forwarded to the mayor and Board of Aldermen by the city’s Planning Commission. The commission’s recom- mendations are limited to setting up legal definitions and base guidelines for the districts. The city at this point is not seeking to rezone any property for gambling.
Long Beach has no law that even allows for casinos. The Board of Aldermen directed the commission to establish legal definitions for casinos after a majority of city voters in a non-binding referendum last summer said they supported having a casino across U.S. 90 from the Long Beach Harbor.
The height limit for casino developments and condo- miniums is proposed at 100 feet above the adopted base flood elevation. The city may grant casinos 10 feet more for parking and another 10 feet for rooftop architectural elements.
Under the proposed guidelinesA casino developer must have at least five acres, make a formal application and present a master plan before the city would consider rezoning any property. The Mississippi Gaming Commission has the final say on whether a site is legal for gambling, but as a policy the commission will not consider any application until it has the proper city zoning.
The city has set up a place on its Web site where residents may read the proposed changes, make comments and ask questions.Source: Casino City Times
Ever heard of Italian soul food?
I’m always on the lookout for great, local barbecue joints, but I can’t resist talking about the Italian restaurant I ate at here in Biloxi the other night.
It’s called Bragozzo, and it’s the focus of the Isle of Capri Casino’s renaissance from mid-tier casino to running with the big dogs.
The casino has obviously gone all out with this restaurant, and I have to say it’s paid off. I may have had better Italian food somewhere, but I can’t remember it.
The name comes from the Venetian fishing boat, called a bragozzo. It’s also a wine bar with a great selection of fine wines.
They make fresh pasta, hand-made, on the premises, and the flounder I had was one of the best seafood dishes I’ve ever eaten.
Even better was the dessert: Fruit crostata, a warm fruit tart with vanilla gelato and a golden raisin composta. I don’t usually go in for that sort of dessert, but I did this time on an impulse, and again, it made me want to jump and shout.
If you’re in Biloxi, if you’re anywhere on the Gulf Coast for that matter, especially if you’re an Italian food fan, you cannot do better than this place.
Source: Tim McDonald Trave GolfÂ
Boomtown booms, Hollywood hiccups
By TOM WILEMON
BILOXI – There’s a tale of two casinos in the fourth-quarter earnings report from Penn National Gaming.
The casino operator’s Biloxi property Boomtown is prospering, but its Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis is struggling.
Peter Carlino, the chief executive of Penn National Gaming, told stock analysts in an earnings conference call Thursday Bay St. Louis is the only property the company has any significant questions about.
Biloxi has quickly re-emerged as a popular gambling spot since Hurricane Katrina. Bay St. Louis has not.
“We are off to a slow start there,” Carlino said. “That property as you may know is in the area probably with the largest devastation of anywhere on the Gulf Coast.”
Companywide, Penn National’s net income in the fourth quarter increased to $87.3 million, or $1 per share, from $37.6 million, or 44 cents a share, a year earlier.
Boomtown’s operating cash flow for the three-month period was just under $5.7 million, compared with $3.8 million during the fourth quarter of 2005. That’s a 50 percent increase. Boomtown has benefitted from its proximity to Interstate 110 and the IP Casino.
Hollywood Casino’s operating cash flow was $2.6 million, compared with $4 million during the fourth quarter of 2004. Hollywood Casino is in an isolated location because of the closure of the U.S. 90 bridge over the Bay of St. Louis.
“We’ve only opened a temporary facility there,” Carlino said. “We remain cautious, frankly, as we look at that market in trying to decide what we want to do with that property.”
However, Carlino said the company has no plans to sell the casino resort.
“Fundamentally, I’m not a seller,” he said. “The concept of selling anything is not one of my favorite things, and it certainly isn’t to the degree that folks are listening down at the property. That has not been discussed here at all. The focus has been what can we do to maximize value at the property.”
Bob Davidge, the Hollywood’s public relations manager, said the casino has made great progress in adding attractions since it reopened Aug. 31. It has new restaurants, a new martini bar and a lineup of entertainers scheduled ranging from K.C. and the Sunshine Band to George Jones. The pro shop and café at its golf course opened this week.
“We have more than 600 acres tucked over here on the Bay that provides a nice little getaway for the snowbirders or anyone else who comes over here,” Davidge said.
