Court: Sound Transit Can Take a Tacoma Couple’s Land

By Sean Cockerham, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.

Feb. 16–The Washington state Supreme Court ruled today against South Tacoma property owners who tried to stop Sound Transit from taking their land for a rail station.

Ken and Barbara Miller complained that Sound Transit didn’t give enough public notice of its plan and that the agency arbitrarily chose their property.

But the court, in a 5-4 decision, said Sound Transit didn’t break any laws when it only used its Web site to advertise the meeting where its directors decided to condemn the Millers’ property to make way for its planned Tacoma-to-Lakewood commuter rail service.

The court also said there wasn’t enough evidence to show Sound Transit illegally picked the Millers’ property.

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