Construction on a new Popeyes restaurant in Athens is underway and should be completed by spring, an official said this week.

Amy Golden, director of the city of Athens’ One Stop Shop Office of Business Development, said she’s excited to have franchisees Brian and Wendy Land join the city’s business community.

“They have worked very hard to find the perfect location and have invested much time and effort in this project,” she said.

The restaurant will be located at the corner of U.S. 72 and Houston Street. Golden anticipated the 62-seat Popeyes would be open by April 2018.

Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks said that since Popeyes first discussed locating in Athens, he has received positive comments.

“Everyone seems to have a favorite menu item,” he said. “This helps the city encourage people to dine in Athens and encourages other retailers to consider our city.”

Franchisee Brian Land said he and his wife are excited to be a part of the Athens community. He anticipates healthy lunch and dinner traffic from those who live and work in the city.

With KFC located a short distance east across U.S. 72, Land was asked what set Popeyes apart from Athens’ existing chicken restaurants.

“It’s spicier, but we also have catfish and shrimp,” he said. “It’s my favorite fast food.”

The couple had previously looked at opening a store on U.S. 72 between the Super 8 Express motel and Car Wash Express 2, but the cost to develop the property ran higher than the Popeyes corporate office was satisfied with. The Lands announced in January the project was postponed but added they were still looking to open a store in Athens.

“I’m real happy this worked out for the Land family,” said developer William Ming of Ming Enterprises who helped find the property for the restaurant. “After the property by the interstate fell through, I started working with them to find a site. They liked this site because it’s centrally located and they’re close to downtown, so they’ll have the lunch crowd. There’s also a very high traffic count.”

Marks said the One Stop Shop program aims to assist retail developers find potential locations and navigate zoning, inspections and other issues.

“I commend our staff with One Stop Shop and (Athens) Public Works for assisting the Lands in this project,” he said.