Overview
- The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Nov. 5 to deny changing the designation from Single Family Rural to Mixed Use Employment for land north of US 60 between 211th and 235th avenues.
- County officials said the decision does not end BNSF’s plans for a roughly 4,000-acre facility but requires additional work to meet policies in the Comprehensive Plan.
- Supervisor Debbie Lesko cited insufficient roads and services and emphasized the need for regional consistency and city service agreements before large-scale employment uses advance.
- The Surprise City Council unanimously opposed the project in October, with the mayor citing poor communication from BNSF.
- BNSF has promoted the project as a $3.2 billion investment with about 77,000 jobs, and a company representative told supervisors that a denial or delay would not stop the project.