Pierce County 2025-2026
This partnership is the beginning of a new relationship that will link UW students and faculty with projects that advance the Department of Planning and Public Works’ goals of housing, public infrastructure, environmental resilience, and economic development for Pierce County.
B Street Corridor Complete Streets
Pierce County Project Leads: Alon Bassok
Faculty: Jess Zimbabwe and Ray Gastil
UW Department: Community, Environment and Planning
Quarter: Autumn 2025
This project aims to reimagine B Street in Spanaway, WA, as a safe, accessible, and vibrant community connector that accommodates residents’ and commuters’ needs. The goal is to develop a set of community-informed design and engagement recommendations for the B Street corridor that advance Pierce County’s goals for safety, multimodal mobility, and placemaking, in alignment with the Pierce County Comprehensive Plan and Vision 2050.
Read the final report
View the final presentation
Parkland Visioning
Pierce County Project Leads: Alon Bassok
Faculty: Jess Zimbabwe and Ray Gastil
UW Department: Community, Environment and Planning
Quarter: Autumn 2025
Pierce County is working to update the community plan for Parkland, WA, which will also serve as an incorporation framework for the eventual annexation of Parkland. As a historically underserved community, Parkland is subject to the consideration of annexation. This project will focus on understanding the community’s aspirations for Parkland’s future—particularly in the context of annexation, incorporation, and long-term growth—and identifying the assets and opportunities that can guide County decision-making and investment. The project will provide Pierce County with data-driven insights and visual tools that reflect Parkland’s priorities, helping to shape engagement, policy development, and potential annexation discussions.
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View the final presentation
South Hill Mobility Plan
Pierce County Project Leads: Alon Bassok
Faculty: Jess Zimbabwe and Ray Gastil
UW Department: Community, Environment and Planning
Quarter: Autumn 2025
This project aims to create and suggest a transportation management proposal for improvement to South Hill’s Meridian Ave as well as the surrounding areas that would have major impacts on Meridian’s congestion. This project will explore transportation management and land use strategies that can reduce congestion, enhance safety, and improve mobility within South Hill, while supporting long-term goals for walkability and future high-capacity transit. The proposal will also include recommendations on how to improve mobility within South Hill by improving pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and options to better connect neighborhoods to the central spine of Meridian.
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View the final presentation
South Hill Engagement Strategy
Pierce County Project Leads: Alon Bassok
Faculty: Jess Zimbabwe and Ray Gastil
UW Department: Community, Environment and Planning
Quarter: Autumn 2025
This project aims to understand the situation in South Hill, an unincorporated part of Pierce County, including how to navigate community engagement in the absence of distinct community groups. This project will develop strategies for initiating and sustaining community engagement in South Hill, identifying methods to reach residents who may not be represented in existing networks and ensuring that future planning processes reflect the full diversity of community perspectives. The findings from the project will help to develop action items that are feasible and can help move community engagement initiatives forward on behalf of the county.
Read the final report
View the final presentation
South Hill Pre-incorporation Community Plan Update- Planning to Plan
Pierce County Project Lead(s): Alon Bassok
Faculty: Saida Sobhani (Wi) and Richard Sepler (Sp)
UW Department: Urban Design and Planning
Quarter: Winter and Spring 2026
This project aims to support Pierce County Planning and Public Works (PPW) efforts to develop a community plan for the successful incorporation of the South Hill. A future community plan needs to align with the County’s Comprehensive Plan and code, and clearly outline the details of incorporation, along with the possibilities for a future city. A significant challenge to incorporation is collecting the required number of signatures to bring incorporation to the ballot and the necessary community engagement. Graduate students will support this work through an understanding of community desires with respect to incorporation. PPW staff would benefit from understanding where the community’s interests diverge from the comprehensive plan. Students will provide a report including the comp plan and red-lined community plan review. They will also provide an analysis of existing social, economic, and physical conditions (including demographics, transportation, land use, housing, etc.). Finally, students will review the process for incorporation consistent with state law and prepare a public information handout on how incorporation works. Incorporation will describe what South Hill residents could get if they remain as part of urban unincorporated Pierce County versus incorporating into a city.
Short Term Rental Policies in Pierce County, Washington, and Their Impact on Affordability
Pierce County Project Leads: Alon Bassok and Benjamen Acord-Becker
Faculty: Jin-Kyu Jung
UW Department: Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences – Bothell
Quarter: Winter 2026
This project aims to understand the impacts of short term rentals on affordable housing in Pierce County. Pierce County Planning and Public Works staff have been asked to consider what, if any, changes are necessary to the County code with respect to short term rentals. To support this work, students will provide a report with examples of jurisdictions that limit short term rentals in ways similar to Pierce County. The students will also assess how tourism affects regulation considerations and if there should be any difference in treatment of rentals within different areas of the county. Finally, students will also work to find people along with their shared socio-demographic characteristics who are directly or indirectly impacted by short term rentals in Pierce County.
