DENVER — Finding a public restroom in downtown Denver is nearly impossible. Restaurants, coffee shops, and even grocery stores are installing locks, making it more difficult for customers or the general public to answer nature’s call.
But the City of Denver has a solution for those needing to take care of “business” while shopping or working along the 16th Street Mall.
After a five-year pilot program, the city is installing a freestanding, permanent public restroom on Champa Street, just off the mall. The city hopes to have the facility ready by this spring.
The new public restroom facility will have an attendant present during operational hours and touchless entrances. Security cameras will also be installed outside. The goal is to provide a safe, clean and convenient facility, the city said in a release Wednesday.
The Champa Street facility comes after 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.
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).