Will a contentious road closure in Puyallup make pedestrians safer? Residents are upset

Some residents are unhappy about the Puyallup School District’s plan to close a section of road near Puyallup High School.

Beginning Sept. 4, drivers will not have access to Seventh Street Northwest between Third Avenue Northwest and West Main. The closure is a part of the school district’s one-year pilot program in collaboration with the city that officials hope will make students and staff safer and the campus more cohesive.

Puyallup resident Nadine Weinrich told The News Tribune Tuesday that the closure is “mind-boggling,” and that she is scared of the traffic that will come. She has been living in her home, near Second Avenue Northwest and Eighth Street Northwest, for 27 years.

“There is already a parking problem. By closing this road they’re going to cut off parking spots for students,” Weinrich said. “There are no crosswalks. There are no sidewalks.”

Many of the roads near the high school do not have sidewalks or crosswalks, Weinrich said. She worries closing the road means traffic will be heavier in the surrounding neighborhood, making it more dangerous for pedestrians, including students who park and walk a few blocks to school.

Families will use Seventh Street Southwest and West Main to drop off and pick up their children. Buses will drop off and pick up students on Sixth Street Northwest. The school district will install gates to allow emergency vehicles access to the area when needed.

When asked why this is happening, school district spokesperson Sarah Gillispie wrote in an email Aug. 14 that the district will install three double portable classroom buildings at 721 W. Main. The high school needs replacement classroom space due to the closure of the library science building, she said, which has an outdated HVAC system and will be demolished next summer.

“To ensure the safety of students and staff during the increased pedestrian traffic between these new portables and the main campus, we are proposing a temporary — and possibly permanent — closure,” she wrote.

The school district is conducting a pilot program to collect traffic data in the area and determine if a permanent closure is needed, Gillispie said. The district and city will decide at the end of the school year.

The school district held public meetings at noon and 5 p.m. Aug. 15 at the high school to explain the pilot program and address any questions or concerns. The News Tribune attended the meeting at noon along with city staff, council members and about 10 residents.

Residents raised concerns about traffic congestion, pedestrian safety and what they said was a lack of notice about the change.

Around October or November 2023, the school district filed a conditional use permit application to demolish the library science building and add three double portable buildings. On July 16, there was a public hearing for the permit application. The city approved the application July 30.

Puyallup resident Di King told The News Tribune that residents should have been invited to the decision-making process. She thinks the city and school district should have done more to notify residents about the plans.

She has been living in her home near the high school for about three years.

King, who is a disabled veteran, has a ramp at her house that other people often park in front of, she said. She said that becomes problematic, especially if she has a doctor’s appointment or needs to get groceries.

“I am concerned about emergency vehicles’ ability to get here,” King said. “Blocking a street makes it more difficult to get to my home. It’s going to increase traffic.”

Meredith Neal, the city’s development and permitting services director, said at the Aug. 15 meeting that Central Pierce Fire & Rescue does not see the closure as an operational concern.

Puyallup resident Mitzi McMahan wrote an email to the city’s public works director Aug. 10.

“I am concerned about how this has been handled,” the email said. “The process hasn’t been transparent, equitable or engaging to the impacted community.”

McMahan has been living near Eighth Street Northwest and West Main since 2020. She wants to appeal the permit application. She has until Aug. 20 to do so, and said she is in the process of trying to get the $1,000 fee for the appeal waived.

She alleges the community was not able to fully participate in the public hearing process due to technical issues that prevented residents from being able to speak virtually July 16. She thinks the school district and the city should have notified residents about the proposed changes earlier in the process. The July 16 hearing was the first time residents learned about specific plans for the street closure, she said.

When asked about the pilot program, city spokesperson Eric Johnson wrote in an email Aug. 13: “Please reach out to the school district, as this is their project.”

Puyallup High has about 430 existing parking stalls. About 1,700 students are expected to be enrolled by October 2024. About 1,600 students were enrolled in October 2023. The campus is about 14 acres. The school was built in 1910.

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