Uproar Over San Francisco’s $1.7 Million Toilet

A San Francisco plan to build a public restroom is being met with backlash and derision, reports Nathan Solis for the Los Angeles Times. Not because it’s not needed—but because the single-toilet restroom in question is projected to cost $1.7 million and take two years to build.

While the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department says the estimated cost is “more nuanced and less sensational” than people think and that the project could come in at a much lower cost, critics call the cost and timeline “insane.” 

According to a statement by the parks department, the agency will consider several options, including a pre-fabricated bathroom. “In the end, the project may well be delivered for far less, with leftover funding put toward further improvements or maintenance,” the statement said. However, city officials also worry that equipment requirements by the region’s utility company, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), could drive up costs. As the article explains, “San Francisco’s public utility owns a power supply system that is then sold to its customers, but the power lines are owned and maintained by PG&E.”

Elsewhere in the city, the Pit Stop program, which provides public toilets and other services, has helped reduce 311 calls related to human waste in the Tenderloin neighborhood.