JACKSON, Ga. — Mike Dietrich starts every morning the same way: a cup of coffee on his porch, watching herons glide across High Falls Lake while beavers cut through the still water and eagles soar overhead.

"I drink a cup of coffee on my porch every morning and watch the herons and the beavers swim through, all kind of birds, the eagles go by," Dietrich said. "But this is just gonna ruin it all, not just for me, but there's like a thousand people around this lake area that it's going to have a huge impact on their lives."

That morning routine, and the forested shoreline he's enjoyed for years, could soon be replaced by the hum of diesel engines and the gleam of metal roofing.

Hillwood Development, a Texas-based company, aims to build three industrial warehouses totaling approximately

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