By Richard DeShong | Surprise
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Wittman residents who will see their quiet, rural area be transformed by the BNSF rail yard and logistic development. But I have lived in the Valley since 1952 and have seen a constant expansion of development that resulted in such displacements. One after another one-time Valley rural communities such as Avondale, Buckeye, Surprise, Glendale, Litchfield Park, Tolleson, Peoria, Tempe, Cave Creek and others have seen industry and housing developments push out or surround what were once peaceful residential properties.
Before there were Verrado, The Grand, Robson and so many other communities there were stand-alone properties with lots of acreage with horses and other farm animals. At one time more roses were grown in the West Valley than anywhere else on earth.
Metropolitan Phoenix is still growing, and more inbound shipments of material will be needed. Whether by rail or by trucks, this material will come into the Valley. Even if the BNSF development is stopped, more trains will pass through Wittman and more trucks will being traveling into the area via U.S. 60. NIMBY attitudes will be expressed wherever logistics centers are built. One only need to look at how the Loop 303 corridor has been transformed over the past 10 years pushing out folks just like those now living in Wittman. For 50 years I have been hearing that eventually the corridor from Tucson to Wickenburg will be fully developed like the area from Riverside to Thousand Oaks.
Wittman residents are in the best negotiating position with BNSF that they will ever be. Now is the time to organize and demand financial compensation. Some might consider having BNSF buy their property and let them live on it rent free until they either move or die. Others may want BNSF to relocate them and their belongings to some other isolated rural location. They may want to demand BNSF pay for sound barriers, intersection under/over passes, the state and/or county to pass strict noise regulations and to widen I-60 with truck only lanes. Even supporting the completion of I-11 to bypass Wickenburg and Wittmann altogether would help.
Progress and growth in the nation’s fifth largest and fastest growing city is inevitable.
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