INTRODUCTION TO BAXLEY

Located in the coastal plains region of South Georgia, Baxley is a friendly and charming city with a historic and growing downtown. The seat of Appling County, Baxley serves as a hub for activity in the area. Baxley’s 5,000 residents are drawn to the city’s slower pace, close-knit community, and thriving agricultural and industrial base. Visitors come from throughout the region to visit the many community events, sports competitions, and an array of natural resources in and around the city.

Baxley was settled in the late 1800s along the Macon and Brunswick Railroad. Local businessman Wilson Baxley sold some of his land to help bring the railroad to the area. The community that grew around the new railroad was named in his honor. The town remained a small rural community for many decades, cultivating corn, wheat, sugar cane, timber, cotton, tobacco, and sweet potatoes. Baxley’s residents made good use of the abundance of pine trees, turning Appling County into a center of turpentine production and logging. Today, the Edwin Hatch Nuclear Power Plant on the Altamaha River is the largest employer in the area. Some of Baxley’s notable citizens include authors Caroline Miller and Janisse Ray.

Miller wrote the 1933 Pulitzer Prize-winning Lamb in His Bosom in Baxley. Miller often visited Barnes’s Drugstore downtown. While closed for many years, this building remains a downtown landmark and one of the area’s many historical buildings. Ray, a prominent environmentalist, grew up in Baxley and chronicled her upbringing among the longleaf pines in Ecology of a Cracker Childhood (1999).

Baxley’s downtown, once a bustling community hub, began to decline with the expansion of two major highways through the center of the city. Local businesses relocated, moving away from downtown in a sprawling growth pattern. Baxley’s downtown is currently undergoing a revitalization with the assistance of tools like Georgia’s Rural Zone program and PROPEL. One example is the renovation of the oncevacant property at 55 Main Street, which now houses two ground-floor businesses and a mural welcoming visitors downtown. A Savannah beauty boutique, The Soapery, has plans to relocate to Baxley and set up a production facility and a storefront downtown. The community is also investing in major public improvements including a recently completed aquatics center in Max Deen Park and a splash pad planned for Water Works Park.

With assistance from local and state partners, downtown development is gaining momentum and drawing enthusiasm from the city. Citizens are eager to see their downtown return to a bustling, familyoriented gathering place for locals and visitors alike.

Purpose Of This Document

In the summer of 2023, the City of Baxley and the Baxley Downtown Development Authority (DDA) sought design assistance from UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The Baxley DDA worked with Garrison Taylor of UGA’s College of Environment + Design to outline a vision to guide the future development of downtown Baxley. Known as the Georgia Downtown Renaissance Fellowship, this design assistance was made available to Baxley through a partnership between the DDA, the Georgia Municipal Association, the Georgia Cities Foundation, the UGA College of Environment + Design, and the UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government. This project was also made possible by the Institute of Government’s Georgia Workforce and Economic Resilience Center, with additional financial support from the UGA Foundation to support PROPEL communities. This project is a continuation of the PROPEL (Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership) program, funded by

USDA Rural Development. One of the action items identified in Appling County’s economic development action plan was to develop a downtown vision. The generous support of these funding partners allowed this planning effort to take place without any cost to Baxley.

This document helps visualize and conceptualize options for the future growth of downtown Baxley. The designs that follow respond to unique challenges and opportunities found in the downtown area, including streetscape improvements and opportunities to enhance environmental resilience throughout downtown. Developed with the assistance and oversight of Baxley City Manager Keri Orvin, the proposed designs show concepts that create safer, more efficient, and more attractive streets and public spaces for residents. Together, these designs are intended to spur community development to enhance downtown Baxley for its residents.