Gulfport taking Fishbone Alley from trash to treasure
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) – Someone had been complaining about all the trash in an alley that runs behind restaurants in downtown Gulfport, so Community Development Director David Parker strolled through on his way to a meeting late last year.
The city’s new economic development director saw more than trash, he saw opportunity. Parker thought of Printer’s Alley in Nashville and Exchange Place in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Why not a pedestrian alley in Gulfport?
Parker got others on board with the idea, and money was located in the post-Katrina streetscape budget. The city dubbed the space Fishbone Alley.
Parker tells The Sun Herald the alley should be finished sometime in July.
Downtown Gulfport was a sleepy place before Hurricane Katrina. In this post-Katrina era of facade grants and historic renovation, downtown Gulfport now boasts 40 restaurants and bars.
