Benton County appraiser defends the $1.277 million value assigned to the property at 1200 Jadwin that Richland wants to renovate for a police station. City officials defend paying $6.473 million more than that.

The Benton County appraiser’s office defended the $1.277 million 2025 value it assigned for a 46-year-old building on 4.18 acres at 1200 Jadwin Ave. that the Richland City Council wants to turn into a police station. City of Richland officials defended their plan, that includes possibly paying the new owner, 1200 Jadwin LLC, $4.250 million more than it paid for the property about 18 months ago. Consultants for the city have reported that buying and renovating the old building would be about $15 million cheaper than a new building.

State business records lists Corey Bitton as the governor of the LLC. Bitton did not respond to a request for comment.

The building was extremely run down.

“This property was extremely run down and is now being corrected,” Chief Appraiser Chris Plummer at the Benton County Assessor’s office explained the $1.277 million property assessment in a May 20 email to the Observer.

City records show a renovation permit with no indication that anything had been completed before it expired.

Washington state law requires property to be valued at 100% of its true and fair value.

An “economic obsolescence adjustment,” Plummer wrote, resulted in yearly taxes on the property, which had been unoccupied since at least 2019, being reduced in 2026 from $12,721.25 to $11,582.16.

How does the city safeguard information about property transactions?

In response to the Observer’s question about how the city safeguards information about property transactions, City Manager Jon Amundson addressed concerns about the Jadwin property in an email to the Observer:

“Safeguards included holding executive sessions when appropriate, limiting negotiation-related information to those directly involved, working through professional representatives, and drawing on legal, appraisal, financial, and real estate expertise. These measures were put in place to protect the City’s negotiating position and the interests of taxpayers.”

City official warned the council in January that someone else could buy the property without mentioning the most recent sale.

At the Jan. 27 council workshop, Deputy City Manager Joe Schiessl outlined the three choices investigated by city consultants and estimated that Jadwin would cost about $49 million to renovate into a police station, about $15 million less than a new build on city-owned property. He urged councilmembers to pursue a contract before someone else purchased the property. He didn’t mention that over a year earlier on October 23, 2024, 1200 Jadwin LLC, headed by Corey Bitton of Pasco, had purchased the long vacant property for $3.5 million.

On April 7 the city council voted to approve a $7.750 offer for the property with inspection contingencies.

Recent history of 1200 Jadwin

The buildings at 1100 and 1200 Jadwin were built in 1980. Hanford contractor, Fluor Corporation, had its offices there for years. In 2019 John Crook and David Lippes of Boost Build bought the two buildings at auction for about $1 million. Those owners soon purchased seven acres under both structures from the city of Richland for approximately $800,000.

A day after the property was sold to 1200 Jadwin LLC, it borrowed $6.575 million from a group of investors in the Spokane area with the property as collateral.

On October 24, 2024, public records show that 1200 Jadwin LLC, borrowed $6.575 million from about 15 entities and individuals in the Spokane area one day after the property sale closed.

The Observer was able to contact one of them who said that the loan was for “purchase plus possible renovation.” That lender described being contacted by a loan broker and told the Observer that was a “standard business practice.”

The lender seemed confident that the loan would be paid and said the group had no plans for the building if the borrower defaulted.

No renovations have been completed by the new owner.

City of Richland permit records show that no renovations have been completed in the building since the $3.5 million purchase.

On April 4, 2025, a permit for interior demolition was issued to Great Basin Development LLC at Corey Bitton’s address. Plummer noted the proposed improvements in his email to the Observer.

The permit included a $75,000 estimate to “Remove interior non-bearing partitions, wall board, vandalized and broken bathroom equipment, doors, wiring , lighting, ceiling grid, glazing, and wall and floor coverings, clean interior and prep for future project (undetermined).”

The permit expired on December 31, 2025, with no inspections listed.