Noe Valley public toilet

The Noe Valley public toilet was a planned public toilet in the San Francisco neighborhood Noe Valley. It was planned to occupy approximately 10 by 15 feet (3.0 m × 4.6 m) and to be funded by the State of California to address open defecation in the city.^[1][2] The responsible government agency, San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, held a press conference in October 2020 in which the department projected its construction to cost $1.7 million.^[1][3] San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight reported on the cost.^[4] A celebration the city government had planned for the toilet was canceled due to public dissatisfaction with the price and the two year construction timeline.^[5] California State Assembly member Matt Haney, representing part of San Francisco, was one of the critics, and stated it showed the city had a "dysfunctional bureaucracy".^[6] Haney had secured the $1.7 million.^[7]

The office of California governor Gavin Newsom then announced it would withhold the funds until the cost was brought down. In January 2023, city officials announced they were accepting a donated modular bathroom from Public Restroom Company in Nevada. The new estimate with installation, electrical work, landscaping, and other costs comes to $725,000.^[7]

See also

• Portland Loo

References

1. Nathan Solis (October 20, 2022). "San Francisco plans to spend 2 years, $1.7 million to build single-toilet public restroom". Los Angeles Times. from the original on 2022-10-20. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
2. Lyanne Melendez (October 19, 2022). "SF is in need of public restrooms, but is $1.7M too much for a 150-square-foot facility?". San Francisco: KGO-TV. from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
3. "San Francisco is spending $1.7 million to build a single public toilet". Boing Boing. October 20, 2022. from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022. How on earth could a public toilet cost $1.7 million and take three years to build? The short answer is 'San Francisco' and its 'maze of planning, permitting, reviews, and public outreach' to get anything done.
4. Barmann, Jay (2022-10-24). "Governor's Office Wades Into Noe Valley Toilet Controversy, Says Funds Will Be Withheld". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
5. Tori Gaines (October 19, 2022). "Celebration for SF public toilet canceled amid backlash over $1.7M price tag". San Francisco: KRON-TV. from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
6. Keiran Southern (October 20, 2022). "San Francisco is building a $1.7m loo where you can spend a penny ... in 2025". The Times. London. from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022. Haney, a member of the California State Assembly, said families had long called for a lavatory in the Noe Valley town square, opened in 2016. However, as critics denounced the plan, he said it was the latest example of San Francisco's dysfunctional bureaucracy.
7. Knight, Heather (2023-01-27). "S.F. Toiletgate: Noe Valley will get its cheaper bathroom and City Hall gets lessons in finance". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-07-18.

Further reading

• Knight, Heather (October 19, 2022). "S.F. is spending $1.7 million on one public toilet: 'What are they making it out of – gold?'". San Francisco Chronicle. (subscription required)
• Best, Paul (October 19, 2022). "San Francisco building single public toilet that will cost $1.7 million and won't be completed until 2025". Fox News.
• Pino, Dominic (October 19, 2022). "San Francisco Is Building a Toilet". National Review.
• Tori Gaines (October 20, 2022). "Is San Francisco really paying $1.7 million for a public restroom?". KTLA. Los Angeles.
• Donchey, Sara (October 20, 2022). "Public toilet in San Francisco's Noe Valley comes with painful $1.7M price tag". CBS News.

37°45′05″N 122°25′44″W / 37.75145°N 122.42887°W / 37.75145; -122.42887