Here are comments that Mayor Holloway made at the opening of the intial meeting to discuss the revitalization of the Point Cadet waterfront. The public presentation was conducted Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at the Dr. Frank G. Gruich Sr. Community Center on Howard Avenue.
Good evening and thank all of you for being here.
Tonight, we are here to talk about one of the most prized locations in the oldest part of our city.
I’m talking about the waterfront on Point Cadet.
It’s the gateway into our city. It’s arguably the most valuable piece of land in our city.
But there should be no argument about its historic importance and its potential. Point Cadet and the Point Cadet waterfront are where it all started for Biloxi.
There have been a number of plans for this area over the past 30 years, but today the new lay of the land presents us some exciting opportunities.
The height of the new Biloxi Bay Bridge at the water’s edge …. the return of the Maritime and Seafood Museum to its original site …. and an expansion of the Point Cadet Marina provide us a chance to make this area something special.
Tonight we’re going to discuss the opportunities, and how we can turn those opportunities into reality.
Some months ago, I asked Grover Mouton, the director of the Tulane Regional Urban Design Center, to look at the site and present us a few concepts on the possibilities.
Besides being an architect, Grover is also head of the Mayor’s Institute for Urban Design for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Grover had a home in Pass Christian and is very familiar with Biloxi and our history.
But most importantly for us, he knows about public spaces and how to make them engaging.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present Grover Mouton.
