Shared by our partners at Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI). For information specific to this article, please contact DOTI’s Communications Director Nancy Kuhn at nancy.kuhn@denvergov.org.
Denver – Five years after launching a pilot program to address a need for publicly accessible restrooms in the central part of the city, the City and County of Denver is installing a freestanding, permanent public restroom on Champa Street, just off the 16th Street Mall. It is anticipated to be available for public use this spring after utility connections and other site work details currently underway are complete.
The new restrooms, with a colorful and inviting blue wrap, will be convenient, clean, and safe facilities for the whole community, with an attendant present during operational hours and touchless entrances, hand sanitizer stations and space to queue – all critical features during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Providing residents and visitors with access to a comfortable, clean restroom meets a basic and universal human need and we’re proud to deliver this facility to the people of Denver,” said Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “By making restroom facilities more accessible to all, we increase people’s ability to get out and enjoy our downtown area with confidence and improve quality of life and the way our city looks and functions.”
Denver began piloting two mobile public restrooms in 2016, prioritizing safety and cleanliness, and with the goal of testing different sites to inform a successful location for a permanent facility.
“I’m proud to have worked with city agencies to launch the creative, mobile restroom program that expanded access to sanitation for those who are away from home or living without one in Central Denver,” said At-large Denver City Councilwoman Robin Kniech. “Today the vision of using what we’ve learned from the mobile restroom pilot to create lasting infrastructure takes a step forward on our beloved 16th Street Mall. I look forward to building upon this success to ensure our infrastructure matches the vibrancy and needs of our city.”
The new facility, measuring approximately 18’ x 7.5’ and installed in what was previously the parking lane along Champa Street near the 16th Street Mall, includes two restrooms (one standard and one ADA compliant), an area for the attendant and these additional amenities:
- Raised planters and additional shade and tree canopy (landscaping/tree planting will be done in the spring.
- Increased walkway to allow for socially distant queuing
- Building and site lighting to increase visibility
- Security cameras to enhance safety
- Full-time attendant
- Waste and recycling receptacles to help people keep the area clean
- A micro-mobility station where visitors can park bikes/scooters
Denver purchased the restroom facility with federal Coronavirus Relief Funding (CRF) and will operate the unit moving forward with Wastewater Enterprise funds from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI).
