JOE MALIK: MILLER SAYS HE LOST 1.5 MILLION >>>
After more than three years of legal wrangling, University Place resident and Tacoma-area property developer Ken Miller has been awarded $500,000 for 1.25 acres of land taken against his wishes by regional transit authority Sound Transit. That amount, says Miller, doesn’t even cover his legal expenses. For all intents and purposes, Miller received nothing for his property, which he values at $2 million.
A Pierce County Superior Court jury today ruled that Miller is entitled to $500,000 for property taken by Sound Transit via the power of eminent domain â€" the right granted to government agencies to take private property against the owner’s will for purposes that serve the public good. The public good, in this case, would be a parking lot for riders of Sound Transit’s commuter rail line in South Tacoma.
“This wasn’t a good day,†says Miller. “We lost everything.â€