Following in the wake of the Gaines Street overhauls, construction is ongoing for the Seminole Boosters project, College Town.

RELATED: From TallaNasty to TallaClassy: The Rejuvenation of Gaines Street 

What is College Town? It is a living, dining and entertainment center located at the corner of Woodward and Madison.

With the ground breaking last January, project completion is slated for late spring or early summer 2013. Patrick Hodges, landscape architect and design representative who helped design the master plan for College Town, said the project will include a sports bar, a sushi Asian fusion restaurant, a yogurt shop, a bagel shop, a couple of nightclubs and America’s Backyard. America’s Backyard (not to be confused with “The Backyard” in Frenchtown) will function as a live music venue.

While residential leasing is not yet available, Seminole Boosters Inc. chairman Brian Swain commented, “All student housing will be ready for occupancy by April 2013. We still have another 9-10 months of construction left, but probably about 25 percent is completed at this point in time.” These residential spaces are designed in the form of lofts above the business at street level.

Upon completion, the project will have a 20 million dollar price tag. College Town is technically not a university project; therefore, does not depend on university funds. The Seminole Boosters own the land and have relied on funding from a number of different sources including individual investors and the Tallahassee Leon County Community Redevelopment Agency.

College Town will be an attraction for many patrons in the Tallahassee area. “I would say that it’s designed to reach a broad market that would include both students, faculty and staff, alumni and the residents of Tallahassee,” Hodges said.

Because of its prime location - walking distance from campus and Doak Campbell Stadium - College Town will definitely be a game day hangout. Hodges hopes it will function as another Midtown.

Hoping to build tourism and commerce in Tallahassee, Swain said developments similar to College Town have been implemented at about ten other universities and incredibly successful.

Swain continued, “We also feel that one of the things that make this project important is that we want people to come to town and stay. We want to create a game weekend experience for everyone. That’s part of the driving force behind building this project. We want to give people as many excuses to come to Tallahassee as possible.”