A final word remains to be heard concerning the development in north Phoenix of a $3.2 billion rail logistics campus by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway company.
The project, which will see construction work on some 4,000 acres in the community of Wittmann, has been in the talking and planning stages for well over four years.
In early 2026, the Fort Worth-based BNSF purchased some 50 additional acres at a cost of $10.1 million to be incorporated into the larger site.
That action followed on the heels of a vote by members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors which unanimously rejected a comprehensive plan amendment for the project.
Almost from the start, the project has engendered spirited opposition from area residents who have charged that the logistics campus will create noise and land pollution, while also lowering property values in the vicinity.
For that reason, some residents of Wittman have moved to establish their own government to have a say in the project.
Company officials, however, have maintained that the project will be built and operated in an environmentally safe manner, while also underlining its strategic value.
“Logistics Park Phoenix is designed to strengthen Arizona’s supply chain and protect the state’s economy by improving how goods and materials move into and out of the region,” Lena Kent, BNSF director of public relations, responded in a statement.
Kent also said that the reason the company purchased the 50 acres was simple: “Given the importance of the project and the proximity of these homes, BNSF believed this was a responsible and appropriate step, and we completed the transaction with willing sellers.”
With the controversy still not resolved, BNSF has nevertheless begun work on a smaller 350-acre slice of the 4,200-acre site.
Ultimately, the company wants to build both a logistics center and intermodal facility, along with some 18 million square feet of warehouses.
November 10, 2026
By Garry Boulard
