The Point Ruston development in North/west Tacoma (hotel, new home)

[bellabella2]

Ok so my questions are:

a) Have they started construction? Does it seem that is moving good?

b) Do you think it will positively affect the area? Will it make the west end / north (Tacoma) more desirable?

[FoxyKnox]

They have not started construction yet. In fact there's a Tacoma News Tribune article about it to be printed tomorrow. See here: Point Ruston in the distance | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA "The timetable allows Point Ruston to build and clean in phases. Cohen predicted construction of the 35 homes on the highest part of the property, known as Stack Hill, could begin as soon as next summer"

I think it'll clean up the area quite a bit. With the Ruston waterfront parks and the hotel down there, I think it'll become a destination for couples seeking a get-away. I also think that the new homes with waterfront/marina access will be a big hit with retirees and DINKs. I'm quite interested in it myself--if that area could bring in a grocery store somewhere, I think the area would be a perfect place to live.

[sean98125]

I wouldn't raise a family there due to the high levels of arsenic and other contaminants in the soil.

[mthomson]

The arsenic is almost completely cleaned up now. They've been at it for over 10 years, and have about 2 years before it meets federal standards.

[sean98125]

Ooooh, federal standards.

The federal government always takes care of us and I'm sure we don't have anything to worry about.

[mthomson]

Do you use a cell phone? Watch TV? Own a microwave? Drive a car? If you answered yes to any, you're not protecting yourself and you should be worried. Some people choose not to live in fear. The area has been cleaned up. Beautiful thing about our country, if it's not to your standards, you don't have to move there, but others can if they choose.

[sean98125]

It's not a matter of choosing to live in fear. It's a matter of knowing what is in the ground there and not wanting to expose children to it. It's irresponsible to build residential housing on a Superfund clean-up site, especially with the documented effects of arsenic, lead and mercury on child development.

[bellabella2]

Thank you for the link Foxyknox!

Sean: I understand your concerns. But in my honest opinion even our food supply in the United States is to be concerned about. But I still have to eat..

[MichaelinWA]

We drove past this area a couple of months ago on a sunny Saturday and were impressed by the lovely waterfront in general and the Ruston Point site in particular. As DINKs ourselves, we would be tempted. But we would need to be comfortable with the cleanup. I certainly wouldn't blithely equate cell phone usage to a contaminated former smelter site.

Originally Posted by FoxyKnox

They have not started construction yet. In fact there's a Tacoma News Tribune article about it to be printed tomorrow. See here: Point Ruston in the distance | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA "The timetable allows Point Ruston to build and clean in phases. Cohen predicted construction of the 35 homes on the highest part of the property, known as Stack Hill, could begin as soon as next summer"

I think it'll clean up the area quite a bit. With the Ruston waterfront parks and the hotel down there, I think it'll become a destination for couples seeking a get-away. I also think that the new homes with waterfront/marina access will be a big hit with retirees and DINKs. I'm quite interested in it myself--if that area could bring in a grocery store somewhere, I think the area would be a perfect place to live.

[old ruston native]

I do not know if anyof you have ever lived there nefore I lived ther from 1976 to 1987 I graduated from Ruston Elementary. If any of you even knew there was a school there. I lived only 4 houses down from that school and remember looking at that smelter everyday i lived there. Listening to the sirens that would be a signal to fire departments of fires burning within the city of ruston. This was a pretty cool little city where almost everybody knew each other I still keep in contact with some of the kids I went to Ruston elemtary with. I now live in Reno,Nv for the last 12 yrs. I am still thinking of going back to ruston again. Arsenic was really o worry when i was a kid growing up there.
PS IS Ruston Elementary still there remember the Old brick building on Shirley Steet.