Rebuilding Mississippi’s Gulf Coast – Getting Started

In Gulfport Mississippi three highways essentially define the city – Interstate 10 forms the northern boundary, Highway 49 running north-south bisects the city, and Highway 90 runs east-west along the Gulf Coast forming the city’s southern border. Of the Mississippi coast communities ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, Gulfport seems to have suffered the least amount of damage. That’s not to say it escaped unscathed – everything along the coast to roughly three blocks inland was ruined or completely washed away down to the foundation. All trees along the coast, literally thousands of trees including hundreds of heritage elms, were killed by the saltwater. Damage inland from that point is more sporadic – a destroyed restaurant amid undamaged strip malls and houses with damaged roofs miles inland. The vast majority of Gulfport residents are fortunate in that their homes are intact and habitable. Typical of Southern cities, the bulk of Gulfport’s retail stores, restaurants and other services are located not downtown, but along a strip, in this case Highway 49. Except for a closed Barnes & Noble bookstore, all big box stores and almost all small businesses along this corridor suffered little if any damage and are open for business. From a macro perspective Gulfport is generally intact.

The coastal region of Gulfport which encompasses Gulfport’s downtown, (12 blocks, 4 streets by 3 streets wide) is a much different story. Most buildings downtown are generally standing although all have been gutted from storm surges, winds, flood water, and the resulting rot, mildew, and mold. Since the storm, Gulfport has been defining a vision for its future as part of Mississippi’s rebuilding plan. Some of the plan’s components are more easily executable than others – but each requires funding and the combined efforts of residents, developers, local government, and in some cases rail owners, casino operators, the state’s department of transportation, and other regional, state, and federal agencies. An overall vision for Gulfport and each of the cities along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast will result in great places, improvements over pre-Katrina conditions. What this overall vision does not do is force action. Without action, the vision for Gulfport’s redevelopment will remain forever a dream on paper.

Five months after Katrina, Gulfport’s coast continues to look like it was bombed. In addition to the proposed city vision, local actions are more essential to the immediate recovery effort. Residents and business owners need to see redevelopment progress not only to feel better about their city, but so they also begin to reinvest in their own downtown.

Today, Gulfport’s city government along with newly expanded city departments, namely the planning department, permitting, and code enforcement are all located in temporary trailers next to city hall. The region’s redevelopment office is located miles inland among the sprawl of Highway 49. To show the people of Gulfport that the city is committed to rebuilding, city government and redevelopment agencies should be operating out of permanent downtown buildings. A number of building owners are waiting for insurance settlements before deciding what to do with existing properties. The city (with state and federal aid as available) needs to offer incentives to building owners and developers to begin reconstruction now.

Hope in Gulfport

Already nine local businesses have re-opened downtown – Ye Old Sandwich Shoppe, along with a lunch restaurant, a bagel café, a drugstore with a lunch counter, two law firms, two banks, and an auto service center. These businesses did not wait to reopen their businesses, and their services are so critical to the downtown area that they are all busy from opening until close. These individual businesses serve not only to provide essential services but like a lone sunflower in a field of debris, provide hope to the broader community and serve as catalysts in attracting more businesses back downtown. While these businesses exemplify the redevelopment that needs to occur, a more rapid and more significant return to a vibrant downtown will require the city to play a more active role.

The challenge faced by Gulfport’s downtown seem at this point, no more significant than that facing any underutilized downtown pending redevelopment. The vast majority of Gulfport residents have not been displaced, residents are working, people are shopping, and a sufficient worker base is available for reconstruction and to work in the businesses. Buildings are physically intact and essential infrastructure from water to power to streetlights is all operational. Given these conditions, the solution to rebuilding Gulfport’s downtown should be similar to other downtown redevelopment efforts. A strong redevelopment agency in conjunction with the chamber of commerce should immediately spearhead redevelopment efforts. The redevelopment of Gulfport’s downtown will indeed benefit from several elements atypical of other redevelopment efforts. As part of broad Katrina aid legislation, committed state and federal loans and grants are available to the city, along with insurance settlements for most of the downtown properties. The continued national focus on the Gulf Coast continues to yield volunteers who can help with recovery and redevelopment efforts, continues to increase the available labor force, and continues to raise awareness among potential visitors. Each of these factors will in the long term benefit the Gulf Coast, and it is incumbent upon the city of Gulfport to begin redevelopment efforts now, while residents are hungry for revitalization and resources are available to the city.