The Board supports more public restrooms but cites a lack of community input, accessibility gaps, and vague maintenance plans.
Community Board 12-Manhattan (CB12M) today sent a letter to NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn and NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura opposing the planned installation of a Throne Labs modular bathroom at Plaza Alianza Dominicana (West 165th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue). The Board called on the agencies to pause the installation, currently set for October 15, until its concerns are addressed.
The Board stressed that it broadly supports expanding public restrooms in Washington Heights and Inwood. Its objections focus on how this unit was sited and how it will operate.
Lack of community input. Although the citywide initiative was announced in January 2026, the Board learned of the site only on September 16, when NYCDOT circulated the plans, less than a month before the installation date. This came despite the Manhattan Borough Board’s July 16 resolution conditioning its support on consultation with community boards. The Board also notes it never received the Public Bathroom Strategic Planning report that Local Law 58 of 2025 required be sent to community boards by September 1, 2026.
Questionable location. The Board states the plaza has minimal foot traffic for much of the year, receives little sunlight (a concern for a solar-dependent unit), and sits near businesses, medical facilities, and the Board’s own office. It argues that busier parts of the district with fewer restroom options would be better choices.
Accessibility concerns. The Board raised several issues:
- A rigid 10-minute limit with no way to extend it for people with disabilities, seniors, or families with young children.
- An automatic door-opening feature that raises privacy and dignity concerns.
- Entry methods that mostly require a smartphone.
- Entry and instructions that appear to be English-only in a predominantly Spanish-speaking community.
Unclear maintenance. The Board says cleaning schedules vary across Throne Labs’ materials and city officials’ statements, and that the plans lack staffing levels, response protocols, and contingency measures for downtime. It also cited the cost of repeated repairs to existing park restrooms clogged with syringes.
The Board is also asking the agencies to share the data and studies used to select the site, and to work with it to identify a more appropriate location in the district.
The full letter is available here. The letter was copied to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, EDC President & CEO Anthony Shorris, Comptroller Mark Levine, Speaker Julie Menin, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Majority Leader Shaun Abreu, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa.