The city of Bay St. Louis will get $13 million to develop a downtown pier and harbor.

The grant was announced Tuesday by Gov. Haley Barbour.

The project is considered key to redeveloping the city’s historic downtown.

The pier and harbor project is expected to create more than 100 jobs. It will be a magnet for recreational and commercial boating activity geared toward the county’s traditional tourism economy.

The city plans to redevelop the frontage facing the pier and harbor into boutique retail shops and restaurants, which will resemble Bay St. Louis pre-Hurricane Katrina atmosphere.