Annexation: Will Tacoma plunder Ruston's tasty bits?

I attended the committee hearing in Olympia for Senate Bill 6487 on the City of Tacoma’s land grab, aka annexation, of Point Ruston.

Point Ruston is the most succulent part of the City of Ruston. Tacoma clearly doesn’t want to annex the old, worn out parts of Ruston that have been around since before World War II.

Tacoma wants the tasty bits. Tacoma wants the money makers.

Why is Tacoma so feisty now? One reason might be that it took a flying leap behind Point Ruston developer Michael Cohen. Tacoma loaned $31 million to Cohen for the development of infrastructure for Point Ruston.

Is Tacoma’s motivation for annexation really its frustration over Ruston’s permit process? Or is it possible that Tacoma is nervous about the repayment of the $31 million and Ruston is a convenient scapegoat?

You will find in the public record a recent Washington State Court of Appeals, (20-48233-9-ll) unpublished opinion regarding Cohen’s earlier property development dealings with another partner, William Newcomer.

After reading the opinion, I see a pattern. Do you?

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Annexation: Will Tacoma plunder Ruston's tasty bits?."