Maricopa supervisors deny BNSF’s major plan amendment amid unresolved traffic, water and service concerns

Chairman Steve Gallvin and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday denied CPA 2024006, a major comprehensive plan amendment filed by BNSF Railway that would have redesignated about 840 acres along Grand Avenue in the Whitman area from single‑family rural to mixed‑use employment.

Tom Ellsworth, director of Maricopa County Planning and Development, told the board the change is part of a larger Logistics Park Phoenix proposal involving roughly 4,321 acres and that the CPA would correct a mapping error affecting the southern portion of BNSF property. Ellsworth summarized county concerns about infrastructure capacity, saying county and regional partners have been coordinating on transportation, water, wastewater and public safety but that the CPA raises substantive policy choices for the board.

Ellsworth summarized traffic estimates presented by the applicant and staff: “It is anticipated the proposed development will generate…