Rail giant BNSF moves ahead with grading work while county awaits revised development plan

BNSF Railway Co. is starting work on a site in Wittmann where it plans to build a $3.2 billon logistics park and intermodal facility. But the company still hasn’t received approvals to develop the whole project.

It’s starting grading work on about 350 acres at the southwest corner of the overall nearly 4,200-acre site, according to Lena Kent, general director of public affairs for BNSF.

“This part of the project will help expand our ability to move essential freight for residents and businesses across Arizona and continue to grow the state’s economy,” Kent said in an email statement. She added that the company is working with construction teams to reduce traffic, dust and potential impacts to the community as work gets started.

The unofficial groundbreaking comes a couple months after the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors denied BNSF’s fifth request for a continuance on a measure related to the project site. The board instead denied the measure to change a land use designation for a roughly 800-acre portion of the acreage.

That put the ball back in BNSF’s court to revamp its plan in order to better align with the county’s overall comprehensive plan for the area.

This story is posted in partnership with Phoenix Business Journal. Click to read the full story. 

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