Pine Mountain residents fight plans for children's community

PINE MOUNTAIN - A Smyrna businessman wants to build a $250 million community to house 500 abused, neglected and orphaned children in Pine Mountain. <br> <br> But many people say the 910-acre World Children&#39;s Center would disrupt the quiet town in west Georgia. They have also accused Donald Whitney of hiding behind the children&#39;s center to sneak in commercial development. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s kind of like building a pigpen in the middle of Buckhead. It just don&#39;t fit,&#39;&#39; said Pete Thrailkill, whose house is near Whitney&#39;s property. <br> <br> Residents planned to fight the plan Tuesday night at a Harris County Commission meeting on whether to rezone 541 acres from agricultural to planned commercial development. <br> <br> The decision was postponed until March 4 because of a technicality: Signs on the property did not give the time of the meeting. <br> <br> The planning commission already denied Whitney&#39;s zoning request, but the county commission is not bound by that decision. <br> <br> James Rodgers, chairman of the planning commission, said there&#39;s concern that property taxes will rise with the value of their land. <br> <br> Whitney said he believes most residents are in favor of the project, which had been scheduled to break ground this month but has been delayed by a year. <br> <br> ``There is just a very loud and vocal minority,&#39;&#39; he said. ``You can&#39;t stop development.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Harris County is the fifth fastest-growing county in the state, fed by urban sprawl from Columbus and even from Atlanta, which is about 75 miles northeast. Its population was 23,695 in the 2000 census, a 33 percent increase from 1990. <br> <br> The community would include an 8,000-seat amphitheater, a kindergarten-12th grade school, an interactive aquarium, a hospital and other recreational facilities designed for public use to generate revenue. <br> <br> The 10-year project would unfold in three phases, Whitney said. Children would begin arriving after the first phase, which would be completed in two years. <br> <br> Michael Daniels, a Columbus State University economics professor who did an economic analysis on the project, said the community would create 360 new jobs over the next decade and local spending would increase by $9 million. <br> <br> ``You don&#39;t get many of these projects where you are talking about clean industry creating so many jobs,&#39;&#39; Daniels said. <br> <br> Whitney, 48, built a business empire designing and managing high-end health clubs. His Smyrna firm, Corporate Sports Unlimited, oversees 14 health clubs in metro Atlanta. Nine years ago, Whitney started the U.S. 10K Classic, a Labor Day race in Cobb County that has raised $758,000 for children&#39;s charities. <br> <br> Julie Law, a Pine Mountain resident opposed to the project, said the opponents are not against helping children. <br> <br> ``We love children, but we also love our way of life,&#39;&#39; Law said. ``There&#39;s a time and place for everything, but this is not the right place for what he wants to do.&#39;&#39;