Planned potties spark suit from Coney Island condo residents

Residents say futuristic toilets will block beach view, attract vagrants

From left: 125 Oceana Drive East and a rendering of beachfront toilet pods
From left: 125 Oceana Drive East and a rendering of beachfront toilet pods

Residents of a Brighton Beach condominium are up in arms over high-tech toilets planned for their stretch of the Coney Island Boardwalk.

Two futuristic modular bathrooms are planned for opposite ends of the Coney Island Boardwalk, one of which would be in front of the luxury Oceana Condominiums at 125 Oceana Drive East in Brighton Beach. Residents believe the toilets would block their view of the beach and attract homeless people, according to the New York Daily News.

Residents of the 66-unit condominium building pooled their funds to hire a lawyer, who sued the city last year. The Parks Department was then forced to conduct a new study assessing the planned toilets’ impact, the Daily News reported.

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Though the report found “the proposed project would not change any urban design features,” it did recommend other location possibilities.

Two sources familiar with the Parks Department told the Daily News that the city has already quietly agreed to relocate the problem potty to an undisclosed location on the boardwalk’s west side, but the Parks Department denies the claim.

“A final determination on the location will not be made until after we receive comments from the public,” Parks Department spokeswoman Meghan Lalor told the Daily News on Thursday. [NYDN]Julie Strickland