Zohran Mamdani wants to build public toilets. Costs and delays could stop him.

"Every time Leah Goodridge leaves her home in New York City, she performs the same exercise: figuring out where the closest bathroom is. That's because Goodridge has uterine fibroids, which force her to use the restroom frequently, normally twice an hour after she drinks something. 'Every time I leave my house, I have to chart it out,' she said."

"There are only about 1,000 public restrooms for New York City's more than 8 million residents - not to mention its 65 million yearly visitors. The city ranks 93rd in public toilet access among the 100 largest US cities, according to a 2018 ranking by the Trust for Public Land, which was cited in a city comptroller report."

"Building a new public toilet is trickier and more expensive in New York City than in many other cities, in large part because of the city's Byzantine regulatory requirements, including restrictive zoning, labor, and permitting rules. The average cost of a New York City Parks Department bathroom tripled from $1.3 million in 2011 to $3.6 million in 2019."

New York City faces a critical public restroom shortage, with only approximately 1,000 public bathrooms serving over 8 million residents and 65 million annual visitors. This inadequacy significantly impacts residents like Leah Goodridge, who has uterine fibroids requiring frequent restroom access. The city ranks 93rd among the 100 largest U.S. cities for public toilet access. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has prioritized addressing this issue through a pilot program targeting 20-30 modular, self-cleaning bathrooms by summer's end. However, implementation faces substantial challenges due to New York City's complex regulatory environment, including restrictive zoning, labor, and permitting requirements. Construction costs have escalated dramatically, with Parks Department bathrooms tripling from $1.3 million in 2011 to $3.6 million in 2019. Even prefabricated models exceed $1 million per installation.

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