COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - GATHER COLA is the latest project slated for the Bull Street district with plans to open up in the next few months.

The open-air food hall is the first of its kind in the City of Columbia.

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The property is located at the intersection of Freed and Sabal Street and will feature food vendors, retail and more.

The project developer, Frank Cason of Cason Developement, told WIS the project is modeled after Gather Greenville, a similar concept in the Upstate. It includes restaurants, seating, and bars.

It's convenient for families that can't all decide on one place to eat and ideal for a foodie looking to try different local vendors.

"It's somewhere between an outdoor food hall and a brewery and biergarten," Cason said. "You have a lot of small boxes for the restaurants to just have a kitchen and a staff to serve so it's not traditional restaurant at all, but we think it's what people want today."

The 32,000 square foot development will have three floors. Food and drinks will be on the first floor and commercial space will be offered on the top two.

There will be nine spaces with enough room for a kitchen and staff for food vendors. Surrounding the vendors will be turf, lawn chairs, heaters, fans and picnic tables. The covered open-air space will fill nearly 17,000 square feet.

There will also be two bars, one on the ground floor and another with rooftop views. In addition, the site will have three retail spots for pop-up shops and a private event space for special gatherings, something Cason told WIS was important to provide in Columbia.

Cason said they are looking for local restaurants and it doesn't matter if this will be a vendor's first establishment -- they want people to have a variety of options. He said it's important GATHER COLA is a representation of Columbia with a good mix of different foods and a community space that welcomes everyone.

"The tough part is, we want to carry the right mix," Cason said. "If we have a Mexican concept here and the hamburger place moves out, we aren't going to replace it with a Mexican concept. We are looking for the right fits."

The idea for GATHER COLA has been a long time coming.

Cason told WIS they wanted to bring Greenville's concept to the Capital City for the last four years. After considering several locations, including Five Points and Gervais Street, Cason said almost overnight it became clear the Bull Street District was the perfect place.

The development will sit across from the retail store REI and behind Starbucks, with a new development parallel to it called the "The Lawn." It's a 3,750 square food artificial turf play area Cason said will complement GATHER COLA.

"It's a place where if you want to go with you and your significant other for date night you can do that or you can bring your family of six out here," Cason said. "Let them run wild because there is only one entrance and exit and you know where they are and everyone can get what they want, you can have a meal a nice beer list, a nice craft cocktail as well."

The Bull Street District is a fast-growing development on nearly 200 acres, operated by the Hughes Development Corporation. It's a 20-year initiative aimed at redeveloping the area with new restaurants, apartment complexes, and commercial and retail spaces.

A new restaurant, Tupelo Honey, opened last week and several other restaurants are slated to open in the coming months.

Cason told WIS the project is expected to be complete by the end of 2025.

Food vendors, local businesses, or retailers interested in GATHER COLA can contact Holly Buxton with Cason Development Group at 803-550-3145.