PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to deny a request from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to potentially develop several acres of land near Wittmann.

During a board meeting on Nov. 5, the supervisors unanimously rejected a proposed change to the land use designation for about 800 acres north of the U.S. 60 between 211th and 235th avenues. BNSF wants to develop about 4,000 acres in this area into a freight rail facility.

BNSF previously told 12News the facility would generate lots of new jobs and amount to a "$3.2 billion investment in Arizona."

But residents around Wittmann had expressed concerns that such a large facility would change the landscape of this rural section of Maricopa County. The City of Surprise had previously voted to oppose the pr

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