LOWNDES COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — For generations, Valdosta's Southside was more than just a neighborhood — it was a destination. Now, city leaders and neighbors say it's time to bring that spirit back.
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Drive down Ashley Street, South Patterson, or parts of the Southside today, and you'll find vacant storefronts, aging buildings, overgrown lots, and reminders of businesses that once anchored the community.
Councilwoman Sandra Tooley says those empty spaces don't represent what the Southside was — or what it can become again.
"A lot of those buildings are gone, but the memories are still there."
"The ability to bring better memories — and some of the same memories — back there is there as well," Tooley said.
That's the vision behind a renewed push to beautify and reinvest in the Southside, from cleaning up blighted properties to attracting new businesses and creating spaces neighbors can once again take pride in.
But for longtime resident Raji Lightner, fresh paint and landscaping are only part of the solution.
"I agree with cleaning it up, but once it's clean, is it just gonna become an empty field?" Lightner said.
Lightner says revitalization has to mean opportunity. He believes restoring buildings should go hand-in-hand with creating places where young people can gather, learn, and build a future.
"They need an activity center... show the kids they have other alternatives instead of just hanging out and doing what they're doing," Lightner said.
It's a message city leaders say they've heard repeatedly through community conversations — that neighbors don't just want promises, they want progress.
"We want occupied buildings, buildings bringing in income, buildings bringing life to the Southside," Tooley said.
For neighbors who've watched the area change over the years, the hope is that this effort becomes more than another plan on paper — and instead becomes the beginning of a new chapter.
City leaders say community meetings and resident input will help shape the next steps, with the goal of ensuring the Southside's future is built by the very people who call it home.
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