Puyallup sought a software system that is scalable, flexible and will meet its needs both now and in the future. The City’s community development department has grown by 30% within the last two years and that growth is what pushed Puyallup forward in its search for software to help automate processes and increase citizen satisfaction.
The City of Puyallup intends to expand economic prosperity by securing continued commercial and residential investments and promoting access to family-wage jobs. The City hired an economic development manager in late 2019 and is streamlining its permitting and planning activities to facilitate economic growth in the area. The CityView project is a central part of modernizing and improving community development services to facilitate the City’s vision.
The goal of the Puyallup reorganization is to have a permitting system that is structurally aligned and operates, to the maximum extent possible, as one system. The vision is to have a unified permitting approach – “One Puyallup” – where the City continues to provide high-quality customer service in a collaborative and aligned manner. For example, development services will become the “development and permitting services department,” which will include four divisions: planning, development engineering (includes traffic engineering function), building, and permit & customer service center.
Puyallup identified the need to upgrade its permitting software to achieve more efficiency, transparency, improved customer service and reliable permit review tracking. The City initiated a request for proposal and after reviewing several software vendors, selected CityView as best able to meet a number of its goals, such as:
With a population of 42,361, Puyallup is approximately 35 miles south of Seattle. Named after the Puyallup Tribe of Native Americans, Puyallup means “the generous people.” It is also home to the Washington State Fair, the state’s main fair. Puyallup has a growing reputation for promoting environmental stewardship. After City Hall received a LEED gold designation in 2009, many other developments, both large and small, have incorporated environmentally-friendly components such as solar panels, green roofs and rain gardens.