BNSF Moving Ahead on Massive Phoenix-Area Logistics Center

The BNSF Railway has a while to go before its massive Phoenix-area commercial real estate project is approved. But it has cleared an early voting hurdle for its $3.2 billion rail and logistics center set to take up 4,300 acres in Arizona.

The Phoenix Business Journal reports that the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval for a comprehensive plan amendment for 839 acres of the BNSF property, now called Logistics Park Phoenix. The amendment will go before the Board of Supervisors for a final vote on Dec. 11.

The rail giant expects to start construction next year after rezoning the site and be operational by 2028. Over the next decade, it plans to develop an intermodal hub—where freight is transferred between train and truck—as well as a logistics park with 18 million square feet of warehouse space and 1,100 acres of rail-served land.

The BNSF project is set to be developed along Grand Avenue just outside the city of Surprise in rural areas such as Wittmann.