The city has extended the period for the public to comment on an environmental study for a proposed storm-proof bathroom near the Oceana condominiums in Brighton Beach.
Two futuristic modular bathrooms are planned for opposite ends of the Coney Island Boardwalk, one of which would be in front of Oceana at 125 Oceana Drive East. Residents of the 66-unit building argue that the toilets would block their view of the beach and attract homeless people, as previously reported. The public-comment period over the $2.5 million toilets will now end May 5.
Residents are calling on City Hall to consider moving the facility roughly 20 yards away. They filed a suit last year, and the Parks Department was subsequently forced to conduct a new study assessing the planned toilets’ impact.
“The theme of Mayor de Blasio is fighting inequality,” Oceana resident Boris Kantor told the Wall Street Journal. “And in this case somehow fighting inequality doesn’t work.” [WSJ] — Mark Maurer