The new Oconee Towne Center (OTC) Regional Shopping Center is well underway near the intersection of Highway 44 and Interstate I-20, having cleared its second review for full approval at the recent meeting of the Greensboro Planning and Zoning Board.
The site’s developer, Greensboro resident Jim Baker of Baker and Lassiter Inc. of Atlanta, will seek final approval of the 43-plus-acre plat at the city’s next hearing in April.
Touted as the area’s new dining and retail establishment, the shopping center is estimated to cost more than $100 million upon completion of its first phase. It represents important employment initiatives, affordable housing, and significant tax revenue for the city of Greensboro and Greene County.
“We are excited to bring in some options to the area in terms of retail and dining,” Baker said. “When fully completed, both phases of the center are expected to draw roughly $150 million in sales and $8 million in sales tax revenue. Combine that with affordable, medium-price housing, SPLOST funding, dining and retail options, and more importantly, the money stays here.”
Baker said grading and utility installation for the project will begin early next month, with expected completion by Fall of 2026. Construction of the center should commence in early 2027, with some stores opening as early as the end of next year and the first quarter of 2028.
Current tenants include a national well-known clothing and home goods store, a 100,000-squarefoot popular national grocery store, and a fishing and sporting goods retailer.
“Additionally, 1,000 future hires in the county are expected when the center is built,” Baker said. “OTC will become a major revenue contributor to the county that essentially started with Home Depot, which opened in 2006.”
Baker and Lassiter have owned the land for decades, and as the county continues to grow, Baker plans to build a 240-unit apartment complex, offering living options in a county that has needed affordable housing to attract future hires.
The vision for Towne Center began over 40 years ago at Baker and Lassiter Inc., which forecasted economic growth and opportunity in the area.
To date, more than 960,000 cubic yards of red dirt have been moved. Its initial phase brought in Starbucks, UPS, Jersey Mikes, Chick-fil-A, RaceTrac, Burger King, Taco Bell, and hotels Tru Hilton and Holiday Inn, among other high-profile tenants. Plans also call for a new Marriott property adjacent to the Holiday Inn.
The OTC regional shopping center will be located south of the present Holiday Inn and will have a six-lane entrance into the complex.
“With every project, it is important to design the center with convenience,” Baker said. “We also checked every box with the city to ensure adequate water and sewer. We contributed money and land to the city in 2006 for the city’s new water tower, which serves all the existing properties along Highway 44 and Towne Center Parkway, including the new elementary school. “Aesthetically, we have planned to attract national retail branding for appeal and to be shopper-friendly.”
Baker said he has been a developer in the greater Atlanta area since the 1970s. His company completed a $2 million industrial park in South Atlanta, as well as its largest center in South Point, an open-air mall in McDonough.
Baker said OTC will be much smaller but with many of the same high-quality, nationally recognized tenants.
Baker credits his success to being inspired and influenced early in his career by well-known business leader J.B. Fuqua.
“Success is learning to see the big picture,” Baker said. “Lake Oconee is a special place to bring business, and we have been fortunate to have a lot of positive feedback from the community.”