Maricopa Supervisors Back Wittmann Residents, Block BNSF Rail Hub Push

PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 5, 2025, unanimously denied BNSF Railway's request to rezone about 4,320 acres north of U.S. 60, between 211th and 235th avenues, from Single Family Rural to Mixed Use Employment. The vote dealt a setback to the company's Logistics Park Phoenix, a $3.2 billion intermodal facility that would encircle the unincorporated community of Wittmann, northwest of Surprise. Residents, packing the board chambers, voiced fears of constant train noise, toxic particulates, drying wells and heavy traffic from the proposed rail-served terminal, logistics center and park promising up to 76,000 jobs.

Supervisor Thomas Galvin and colleagues cited unmet infrastructure needs and lack of coordination with nearby cities like Surprise, whose Mayor Kevin Sartor criticized BNSF's poor communication. 'Our County’s planning framework places a high priority on regional consistency and collaboration,' Supervisor Clint Hickman said in a statement, warning against fragmented growth. Surprise formally opposed the project, highlighting service duplication risks in the rapidly growing northwest Valley.

BNSF, which purchased state trust land in 2022 and adjacent property in 2004, insists the denial won't halt construction. The facility, less than a mile from some homes, includes a 22-acre wastewater plant; the company claims it poses no environmental or traffic threats and sources water independently. While labor unions supported the jobs boost, dozens of residents countered with safety and quality-of-life concerns.

The decision forces BNSF to align with Maricopa County's Comprehensive Plan before resubmitting. As northwest Maricopa County's rural edges face urban pressures, Wittmann's fight underscores tensions between economic promises and preserving Arizona's last open spaces.