MARICOPA COUNTY, AZ — Maricopa County’s Board of Supervisors has run out of patience when it comes to BNSF.
After the railroad giant asked for its fourth extension on a major comprehensive plan amendment vote, the board rejected that request during a Nov. 5 meeting.
Instead, it unanimously denied the measure, which would have changed the designation of a portion of land north of Phoenix where BNSF is planning to build its massive rail hub from single-family rural into mixed-use employment.
While the denial doesn’t kill the project entirely, “it will require BNSF to do more work to align with the policies set forth in the County’s Comprehensive Plan for the area,” according to a statement from the Board of Supervisors.
BNSF maintains that the Nov. 5 major comprehensive plan amendment vote would have simply corrected a technical error for a portion of the property that was previously designated as industrial.
