Pascagoula breaks ground on Hwy 90 retail development
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - Pascagoula continues to make its comeback with more and more economic development in the city, and it even goes beyond downtown revitalization. City leaders joined Noon Real Estate developers at the old K-Mart site to break ground on a new shopping center.
“In 9-12 months, you’ll see a brand new Aldi, TJ Maxx, Burlington, Rackroom Shoes and a Five Below,” said real estate president Kevin Jennings. “We’re very excited. A long time in the making, two and a half years to bring this project to Pascagoula.”
The project’s investments exceed $20 million. Mayor Jay Willis is proud to see the derelict property transform into a place his citizens will enjoy for years to come.
“This is the old K-Mart building that’s been leased to Ingalls Shipbuilding for years. Not only are they happy to have people next door, if you look at the hundreds of cars parked there, that’s a wonderful base for shoppers of this new development,” he said. “It also keeps the tax money in Pascagoula rather than people driving to Ocean Springs, D’Iberville or Mobile.”
A lot of other development in the city is focused in the downtown area, particularly Delmas Avenue.
“We have a three-story boutique hotel that’s being built in the heart of our downtown. This is going to be the Hotel Whiskey,” said city manager Michael Silverman. “Given all the traffic and visitors we have coming, a boutique hotel coming to the community fits really well.”
Just down the road is a mixed-use development with shopping and spaces to call home. One of the newest businesses is Blind Butcher Shop.
“There’s nothing like this in the area, so we’re excited to bring a new market and a new way to shop for meat here in Pascagoula,” said shop owner Bri Mixin.
She told WLOX News it’s Pascagoula’s growth that sold her on expanding her Lucedale-based business to this city.
“Approximately $ 54 million has been invested over these past few years through developments like The Blind Butcher, The Whiskey Hotel, The Ice House, the list goes on,” Silverman said. “It’s so exciting to see them working together to make these development succeed.”
According to Pascagoula, eight other development projects are in progress. Seven of those are cited as retail and residential.
Click here to subscribe to WLOX News on YouTube: Keep up with South Mississippi news, sports, and local events on our YouTube channel!
Copyright 2023 WLOX. All rights reserved.