The city has been meeting privately with a developer to put condominiums on Front Beach across from and adjacent to the Yacht Club. Below are the facts as we currently know them:
The project will be in 2 phases. Phase I will be the development of a six-story, 140 unit condominum complex on the 7 acres surrounding the Wimbos gas station south of Hwy 90 as well as the beach east of the Yacht Club where the club's regattas are currently stored
A marina is included as part of Phase I
Phase II will be the development of a six-story, 58 unit condominum complex just north of Hwy 90 adjacent to Porter Ave
The developer is Mid-South Companies LLC, a real estate development company from Ridgeland, MS
The development will bring additional tax revenue to the city each year provided the city does not issue a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) bond
The developer will be asking for a TIF bond to offset development cost
The Phase I property is currently zoned as C-H which allows for 75 ft height or six-stories. The beach portion is zoned PUB which allows for a sand beach and/or park.
Phase I and Phase II will require granting of a Conditional Use Permit required to allow condominiums in a C-H Zone. Phase II will require approval of a variance to reduce the side yard setback from the condominium building ot the property line of the Jackson County parking serving the county pier
This development is in the Waterview Preservation Zone. The Ocean Springs Unified Development Code (UDC) limits the height of any building to 50 ft in this zone (section 3.9.1 - 3.9.3). A variance for 75 ft will be required
The beach development includes a gated parking lot and gated swimming pool for condo residents only. This will also require a variance
The UDC also states that developers should meet with affected residents prior to submitting applications to proceed with the city. This has not happened
Many protected trees will need to be removed to clear the way for the condos
As is often the case, the city has attempted to obscure this from public view. This exemplifies the lack of transparency for which this administration has become known. We also anticipate that the Board of Aldermen will approve all of the variances required to get this development completed as proposed.
The Planning Commission Meeting conducted on 10 Sep 2024 was an apparent attempt to change the Ocean Springs UDC to benefit the developer of this condominium project. See the newspaper articles below for more on this: