OAK STREET COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Oak Street is a key corridor in East Biloxi, providing the easternmost major north-south connection between Beach Boulevard (Highway 90) and Back Bay Boulevard. It also connects very different parts of Biloxi’s fabric; between the shrimping and fishing fleets on the Back Bay and the Grand Casino facing the beach, it runs through established neighborhoods that include a large number of Vietnamese-American residents and businesses. Since Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed or damaged most of the properties in the area, residents and business owners have returned sporadically.

According to an August report prepared by the National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies, “Even today, over 50% of East Biloxi residents live inside of trailers, and most of these residents reside next to destroyed or empty lots. Because of the overwhelming amount of damage incurred by residential properties, businesses, shrimping boats, and seafood processing plants, the Vietnamese community’s infrastructure and livelihoods were devastated.” Oak Street’s character risks being lost due to the high rate of vacancy and unplanned development.

With new casinos arriving in nearby areas and plans for a major ring road in the works, change is definitely going to come to the neighborhood. Yet the current residents of Oak Street, particularly Vietnamese-Americans who face language barriers and other difficulties, have found it difficult to make their voices heard in the planning process. Now, several organizations have begun a process of community meetings in order to develop a community vision and encourage residents to speak up.

These organizations – NAVASA (the National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies), Boat People SOS, the East Biloxi Coordination Center, and the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio – are working to ensure that Oak Street residents involved in the decisions that will shape their community. To gain a sense of the community’s identity and vision, they held a community meeting on February 27 to present five scenarios for Oak Street that had been identified by residents and business owners. Click the links below to view the five scenarios.

The lively discussion at the community meeting produced many responses, and several themes emerged. Attendees valued both the unique character of the Vietnamese community and the broader diversity that has historically characterized East Biloxi. They recognized the importance of developing a variety of businesses, serving both the local community and visitors. They saw the location of Oak Street as situating it to attract tourists while preserving and indeed enhancing its identity and roots. They pointed out the need to serve existing residents, by providing good transportation and affordable housing, while allowing for growth and encouraging displaced residents to return.

A second townhall meeting on April 15 produced additional feedback. There seems to be a general interest in allowing a diversity of uses, including a mix of businesses and homes. Attendees identified particular areas of Oak Street that would be suitable for development of businesses, housing, and parks. (See the results below).

Building on this feedback, the Oak Street Task Force has been created with a mission to develop and help carry out the community's vision for the neighborhood. One of the Task Force's first jobs is to look at possible zoning changes for Oak Street that would allow property owners to do more with their properties.

View the results from the surveys taken by the residents at the second townhall meeting, about their oppinions on where housing, parks and commercial development should be located along Oak Street, as well as their comments below:

View the five scenarios discussed at the first townhall meeting below:

Who we are:

• East Biloxi Coordination Center | 425 Division St, Biloxi, MS
  • National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA)
  • Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS)
• Boat People SOS | 833 Vieux Marche Mall, Biloxi, MS
• Coastal Women for Change | 336 Rodenberg Ave, Biloxi, MS
• Gulf Coast Latin American Association | 983 Howard Ave, Biloxi, MS
• Asian Americans for Change
• Visions of Hope | 618 Division Street, Biloxi, MS
• NAACP - Biloxi | 260 Main Street, Biloxi, MS