![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/DA9_9823_020625-Irving-Sq.jpg\" "\\"Potty")
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Inside the Irving Square restroom in Brooklyn. The stainless-steel bathroom includes a toilet, hand sanitizer, baby changing station, and slatted openings for ventilation and safety.<\/p>\n
Photo by NYC Parks \/ Daniel Avila.<\/p>\n
NYC is flushing money down the toilet \u2014 at least figuratively.\n<\/p>\n
Just as Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> announced at the start of his term in January a $4 million pilot program for new, prefabricated modular public toilets, plans for a restroom of this kind has already been languishing for nearly three years in Manhattan\u2019s Discovery Playground in Fort Washington Park, The City<\/a> reported on March 16.<\/p>\n \u201cThis bathroom has been in purgatory with design changes and legal reviews,\u201d Merritt Birnbaum, president and CEO of the Riverside Park Conservancy, which manages the Washington Heights green space, told the news outlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mamdani, flanked by NYC Council Speaker Julie Menin, said at his Jan. 10 press conference in Harlem<\/a> announcing the multi-million dollar program that his administration will \u201cmajorly scale up the number of public restrooms\u201d in the city.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, there are nearly 1,000 public restrooms in NYC. That is one public bathroom for 8,500 residents,\u201d the mayor said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n However, as the New York City Economic Development Corporation began taking bids for toilet designs, Fort Washington Park has been waiting since 2022 for its promised loo.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMeanwhile, construction costs are going up, and there\u2019s still no bathroom at this location,\u201d Birnbaum said in The City report.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n NYC Parks is committed to the Fort Washington Park project<\/p>\n The $3.5 million pilot at Fort Washington Park aimed to integrate new restroom facilities into a park environment, serving as a test case for future, similar designs. However, the plan encounters some design challenges along the way, a NYC Parks spokesperson told amNewYork.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Fort Washington Park location has posed unique challenges, but we\u2019re continuing with this project and will keep the community informed,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The site\u2019s unique conditions extended its permitting process. Because it could not connect to the city\u2019s sewer system, a sanitary holding tank was required. On top of that obstacle, its proximity to a flood zone also required additional structural design for both the tank and building.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to NYC Parks, all permits have been secured, and the project is in the procurement phase. The estimated completion for procurement is March 2027; construction would follow.\u00a0<\/p>\n Successes in public bathroom building<\/p>\n The Fort Washington case is in stark contrast to other prefab restrooms in the city, notably at Lopez Playground in Park Hill on Staten Island<\/a>, which won an architectural design award this year. The American Institute of Architects New York Design Awards recognized the restroom for its modular construction.\u00a0<\/p>\n NYC Parks said its Portland Loo facilities<\/a> \u2014 stainless-steel single-stall public bathrooms installed around the city last year \u2014 have been successful. Some New Yorkers who spoke with amNewYork last summer<\/a> about them raved about the potties; others cringed at the $1 million-a-pop price tag.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve heard the calls of New Yorkers for more public restrooms, and the purpose of this pilot was to test new ways to deliver restrooms more efficiently,\u201d the parks\u2019 spokesperson said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had success with prefabricated construction in other sites such as Lopez Playground on Staten Island \u2014 which recently won a prestigious design award \u2014 and five Portland Loo locations.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Mayor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/55034291139_fe578e2efe_o.jpg\" "\\"Potty")
Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined City Council Speaker Julie Menin and others in West Harlem on Saturday to announce that his administration would expand access to public bathrooms, starting with a $4 million commitment.\u00a0Michael Appleton\/Mayoral Photography Office<\/p>\n