Puyallup School District presents safety analysis and next steps after 7th Street pilot closure

Puyallup School District officials and traffic consultants briefed the City Council Nov. 18 on the pilot closure of 7th Street Northwest near Puyallup High School and outlined next steps toward a potential permanent street vacation.

At a presentation led by Brian Devereaux, the district’s director of facilities planning, and Marnie Heffron of Heffron Transportation, presenters said the district compared 5.5 years of Washington State Department of Transportation collision data with the five‑month postclosure period and did not find any net increase in collisions near the school. “Since the street has closed, there have been no accidents at that intersection,” Heffron told council, citing the 7th & Pioneer location as an example where collisions decreased after the pilot closure.

Devereaux said the district’s October enrollment report shows about 1,780 students at Puyallup High School and described ongoing mitigations: additional on‑campus portables and temporary pickup/drop‑off zones implemented after the closure. He outlined outreach steps the district has taken, including a community open house in October and meetings with student representatives, and said the district plans further refinements before filing a formal petition to vacate the street.

Heffron recommended targeted, near‑term measures to address neighborhood impacts and student parking: converting some 4‑hour permit parking to 2‑hour with permit to discourage long‑term student parking in the closest residential blocks, increasing permit oversell in on‑campus lots to capture more students, and revising loading zones on 3rd Avenue. The consultant also recommended a community‑centered safety study with field observations during arrival and dismissal periods to capture pedestrian exposure, turning movements, double parking and other behaviors not reflected in collision counts.

Several residents told council the pilot closure has shifted risk to nearby residential streets. Mitzi McMahon said the district’s technical memo “does not reflect current safety conditions” because it focused on collisions and not pedestrian exposure, and asked council for a field‑observational safety study, resident working groups and a full reevaluation with mitigation measures.

Councilmembers probed practical issues, including how many students currently park on campus and whether public parking structures such as the Sound Transit garage could be part of a mitigation strategy. Devereaux said on‑site parking is insufficient and that the district has added permit strategies to increase lot utilization; he also confirmed the district would need to file a formal petition and that a street vacation ordinance would require at least one public hearing and two ordinance readings if the district proceeds.

The district indicated an aspirational timeline to complete steps before the next school year, with August as a milestone to finalize improvements if the council ultimately approves a petition. Council directed staff and district representatives to continue community engagement and bring further analysis and materials — including the district’s time‑lapse video of preclosure pedestrian movements and the technical memo — to upcoming meetings.