One option for stand-alone public restrooms is the "Portland Loo," which is used in parks around Portland, Oregon. This one, in the South Park Blocks at SW Columbia Street, is one of six downtown that are generally open 24/7, according to a city website. (Photo courtesy of Madden Fabrications)

Marcia Bernbaum: DC will pilot two stand-alone public restrooms open 24/7. Here’s why the ‘Portland Loo’ is an attractive option.

By Commentary On Aug 8, 2019 Last updated Aug 29, 2019

The high cost of a self-cleaning public restroom at a Virginia Metrorail station recently garnered headlines as an example of wasteful spending, but its removal earlier this year need not disrupt the District’s own plans to pilot two stand-alone restrooms available 24/7 downtown. In fact, Metro’s experience helps explain why we think the Portland Loo — currently in use in 28 cities — is probably the better option when DC officials begin implementing provisions in the 2020 budget for the pilot project.

It’s important to get this right. If the pilot project is successful, there are plans to install up to 10 clean, safe stand-alone public restrooms available 24/7 in needed areas of the District by 2024.

Marcia Bernbaum is mentor and adviser to the People for Fairness Coalition’s Downtown DC Public Restroom Initiative.

On July 26, WAMU, NBC4 and WTOP all reported on the results of a review by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s inspector general of Metro’s well-meaning but fraught installation of an Exceloo stand-alone self-cleaning public restroom in 2003 at the entry to its Huntington, Virginia station. That site was selected because it is a terminal station where riders may have a long bus or car ride before or after their rail trip.

The inspector general’s report documents numerous problems experienced over the years with the Exceloo, including vandalism, higher-than-anticipated maintenance costs, and periods when the restroom was non-functional while awaiting specialized parts.

In 2017, officials decided to remove the Huntington Exceloo given the unexpected problems, and the availability of public restrooms at each Metro station.

The WAMU article ends with the following statement: “The District of Columbia included $270,000 in its budget to propose locations and a design for two clean, safe stand-alone public restrooms available 24 hours a day and seven days a week by 2021. It’s unclear if self-cleaning toilets will be among the types chosen.”

The Portland Loo, the other type of stand-alone public restroom

The Portland Loo came into being in response to concerns of local citizens and businesses in Portland, Oregon’s Chinatown district, where streets and doorsteps were being used as urinals and places to defecate. Chinatown had many bars open until the wee hours as well as a large population of homeless individuals; additionally, cruise ships docked nearby, periodically releasing large influxes of tourists in need of a place to go when nature called.

The city opted not to install an Exceloo or any of the other Automated Public Toilet (APT) models, which had recently encountered difficulties in Seattle. Instead, the city hired an architect to design an entirely new structure that was economical, safe and easy to maintain. The design process included consultation with citizens and businesses in Chinatown; the city’s police and fire departments; Clean & Safe, Portland’s business improvement district; the city’s parks, water and environmental agencies; and Madden Fabrication, the company ultimately selected to build the prototype and manufacture the restrooms.

Portland installed its first Loo in Chinatown in 2008, and it remains operational today. Its success led the city to install Portland Loos at additional sites, with more planned. Portland Loos have also been purchased, installed and maintained in 27 other cities throughout the U.S. and Canada — from Salt Lake City to San Antonio to Miami — and several of these jurisdictions are ordering more. Five other cities are also planning to install them. San Diego is the only city where the Portland Loo ran into problems due to selection of an inappropriate site — a lesson that DC can use to ensure safety and avoid vandalism.

As far as site selection, it’s recommended that cities select an open space with a lot of pedestrian and vehicular traffic during the day and into the evening, and where police can pass by during their rounds at night. Key to the Portland Loo’s success has been an emphasis on obtaining local business and community buy-in up front, so these key stakeholders can serve as eyes and ears during the day.

Why is the Portland Loo an attractive option?

The Portland Loo has several features that make it appealing to DC and other cities looking to install clean, safe, economical stand-alone public restrooms available 24/7. Not surprisingly, these were key factors in the design process.

First and foremost, the design team applied Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design measures to ensure safety and prevent its use for illicit activities. Louvers along the top and the bottom are built in so individuals outside (including the police, if necessary) can see and hear what is happening inside, while still providing privacy for the user. At night, the exterior is always lit and the interior lights up when in use. Blue lights are installed inside to discourage drug users from shooting up, and the walls are composed of graffiti-proof stainless steel panels.

The design also ensures that users enter and leave quickly. There is hand sanitizer but no sink inside; instead, a water spout with soap is located outside for hand-washing and to fill water bottles.

The Portland Loo is also designed to be economical to buy and maintain. It costs $95,000 to purchase and transport to the site. Installation costs approximately $35,000, assuming there are water and sewer connections nearby. The annual cost for daily maintenance and cleaning is between $12,000 and $20,000. Since it is not self-cleaning, in most instances an individual, often someone who is homeless or unemployed, is hired to manually clean the Loo inside and outside between two and five times a day using cleaning materials stored in a rear cabinet. Locks, faucets and other features can be easily replaced on the local market. Water use is reduced by having a faucet outside, and each flush uses just 1.25 gallons of water. Solar panels on the top generate electricity in areas with sun, reducing utility costs.

Exceloo — the company whose equipment was highlighted in the Metro IG’s recent report — is one of a number of companies that manufacture self-cleaning toilets that rely heavily on water and automation. In a number of locations they work well. In others, however, they have not — Seattle, for instance, spent $5 million in 2004 to install five self-cleaning toilets but took them down four years later due to vandalism and use for illicit activities. Depending on the model, self-cleaning toilets cost between $200,000 and $300,000 to purchase, another $35,000 to install, and between $50,000 and $100,000 per year to clean and maintain.

Which type of stand-alone public restroom available 24/7 will DC decide to pilot?

The DC government’s fiscal year 2020 budget contains $270,000 to purchase and install two stand-alone public restrooms available 24/7 as pilots, plus an additional $60,000 to cover first-year maintenance. Under the Public Restroom Facilities Installation and Promotion Act of 2018 (DC Law 22-0280), the mayor will appoint a working group to decide on the type and location of the pilot restrooms. The law provides specific guidance on factors to consider, including:

pedestrian traffic in the surrounding area;
the cost of installing, maintaining, policing and repairing the restroom;
the effect that installation of a public restroom facility at the site would have on nearby residential and commercial space;
proximity of the site to services for homeless individuals;
availability of existing public restrooms near the site;
input from advisory neighborhood commissions (ANCs), business improvement districts (BIDs) or other similar community organizations;
proximity of the site to Metropolitan Police Department facilities or personnel; and
the potential use of the site for criminal or nuisance activities.

The law also establishes a specific timeline. By mid-November, the mayor is supposed to ask ANCs, BIDs and other community organizations where they believe these restrooms could be needed. By April, the mayor is supposed to select a nine-member interagency working group — with additional representation from nonprofits that focus on health, seniors and homelessness — to help determine the type and locations of the stand-alone public restrooms. It is anticipated that the two pilot stand-alones will be installed in spring 2021.

Based on our research and the knowledge that we have acquired of both self-cleaning toilets and the Portland Loo, our expectation is that the Portland Loo will be at the top of the list.

Marcia Bernbaum is mentor and adviser to the People for Fairness Coalition’s Downtown DC Public Restroom Initiative, which researched the lack of clean, safe public restrooms in or near downtown DC as well as viable options for clean, safe public restrooms that can be used in the District.

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