TACOMA, Wash. – The cities of Ruston and Tacoma have reached a tentative agreement with the Point Ruston development that would speed the construction process and end an attempt by Tacoma to annex Ruston's portion of the land the project sits on.



The $1 billion Point Ruston development straddles Tacoma and tiny Ruston, and permitting issues have slowed the project’s progress on the Ruston side of the line. Developers were in the process of working with the state and Tacoma to annex the land on the Ruston side into Tacoma in an effort to speed the project along.



According to a release from the City of Tacoma, Tacoma and Ruston will collaborate on permit review for projects on the Ruston side of the line, “which will result in streamlined permit processing and greater consistency across the project.”



Terms of agreement were signed in Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier's office on Monday.



“I’m encouraged by the agreement reached by all of the parties involved in the continued development of Point Ruston,” Dammeier said in a news release.



Ruston city councilmember Jim Hedrick sent Q13 News a letter Monday night that shows an agreement had been reached to drop the annexation proposal if both city councils took action to move the project forward. The letter was signed by Sen. Jeannie Darneille, Rep. Jake Frey and Rep. Laurie Jinkins.



The agreement is expected to be ratified during each city’s council meetings Tuesday.