Maricopa County rejects BNSF's proposed map change for Phoenix rail hub

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors earlier this week rejected BNSF Railway's request for a land change designation that would have allowed the Class I to open a logistics park and intermodal rail facility in Wittmann, Arizona.

The board rejected BNSF's proposed "Intermodal Comprehensive Plan Amendment," which would have changed the designation of land north of U.S. 60 between 211th Avenue and 235th Avenue from a single family rural designation to mixed-use employment. BNSF's plan amendment would have corrected a mapping error on the part of the county, BNSF officials said in a prepared statement. 

"This vote should have been straightforward and administrative in nature; however, the Board of Supervisors ignored the simplicity of our request and chose politics over smart growth," according to the statement. 

BNSF's $3.2 billion investment in its Logistics Park Phoenix (LPP) would bring more than 76,000 jobs to the area, as well as $4 billion in labor income to the economy, and generate $258 million annually in state and local taxes for local infrastructure, BNSF officials said in the statement.

"We remain undeterred and committed to continued dialogue with stakeholders as we move forward," the statement continues. "We are confident that LPP is the best way to serve our customers, as well as the Arizona residents and businesses that depend on the goods we transport, while maximizing the benefits of rail."

The proposed rail hub has faced opposition from some community members concerned about noise and other negative factors they believe the project would create.

“The fundamental reality is that the infrastructure and service framework necessary to support this level of development is not in place," said Supervisor Debbie Lesko, who represents the area in question, in a press release issued by county officials.

While the vote doesn't mean the end of BNSF's proposed hub on 4,000 acres in northwest Maricopa County, it will require BNSF to do more work to align its plans with the county's comprehensive plan for the area, county officials said.

Last month, 18 chambers of commerce in Arizona announced their support of the BNSF project.