By Ruth Longoria

Among the proliferation of pre-to-completed construction projects in the Island’s new Town Center, perhaps the least talked about is the upcoming mixed use facility known as 7700 Central. Construction is expected to begin in early 2007 on the 177-apartment, 12,950 square feet retail building. The complex, formerly known as Cohn Mixed Use, will be built at 2650 78th Ave. S.E., the current site of Coldwell Banker Bain Associates real estate office.

On an Island where residents freely voice concerns over many of the projects that are rapidly changing the downtown business district and altering the city’s skyline, possibly the lack of townsfolk’s murmurings concerning 7700 Central is in part because the man behind the project is one of the Island’s native sons.

Ron Cohn is a Seattle area restaurateur and, though he now lives in Issaquah, he’s a longtime Islander and one of the two sons of the late-David Cohn. Ron’s mom, Ruth Cohn, lives on the Island. His older brother is developer Steve Cohn, the man responsible for another Town Center project, Island Market Square.

The Cohn family moved to Mercer Island in 1949 and the two now-50-something Cohn men are Mercer Island High School graduates.

As youths, the brothers worked for their dad in the family business, Consolidated Restaurants, Inc., which was founded by David Cohn in 1951. In 1983, after many years of being mentored by his dad, Ron Cohn took over as president of Consolidated Restaurants. The company owns several restaurants in the Seattle area, including the Metropolitan Grill, Elliott’s Oyster House, the Union Square Grill, DC’s Grill, Steamer’s Seafood Café and Royal Argosy.

Cohn is married and has four children. In addition to his busy schedule as owner of Consolidated Restaurants, Cohn is on the board of directors of several organizations, including the Bellevue-based Foundation Bank and the Washington Policy Center.

The land where 7700 Central will sit has been owned by Cohn’s family for about 40 years. However, despite his attachment to the land, Seco Development is pretty much in charge of the project, he said. Seco Development also is key to Steve Cohn’s Island Market Square development.

“It’s really been a pleasure working with the Cohn brothers. They’re really good people to work with,” said Michael Christ of Seco Development, a Renton-based company. “Partnerships can be good or bad, and this has been really good.”

Steve Cohn first began working with Seco on Island Market Square about seven years ago and about four years ago, he initiated Seco’s business relationship with Ron Cohn.

Christ acknowledges that Ron Cohn puts a lot of faith in Seco’s ability to handle the project. “But, that trust goes both ways. This is a good working relationship,” Christ said.

In a rare phone interview with the Reporter, Cohn said his partnership with Seco works well because he knows his limitations.

“There’s lots of people involved (with 7700 Central), but the folks at Seco are the most knowledgeable. They’re the experts and I’m the partner,” Cohn said. “They have a much better understanding and know everything that’s going on. I’m not in charge of the timeline. If they want to do something major, we sit down and talk. But, I’d rather stay in the background.”

Though he isn’t involved in all aspects of the project, he does take pride in what’s going to be built on his land, in his hometown.

“I was born and raised on the Island, of course I appreciate that,” Cohn said. “And, what we’re building is going to be wonderful; there’s no mystery there.”

Although his personal life is something of a mystery to those who don’t know him, Cohn is respected among his peers.

Islander Molly Hancock has known Cohn for about 25 years. Hancock is president of FareStart, an organization that provides culinary training for the homeless. She got to know Cohn and his father when she was starting out in the restaurant business. Hancock said she admires Ron Cohn for his character and obvious concern for the community.

“He really cares about the Island and the people here,” she said. “And, in other areas as well, he’s a great dad and a person with a lot of integrity.”