Santa Rosa Residents 'Relieved' To See More Downtown Bathrooms

SANTA ROSA, ÇA — For years, the people of Santa Rosa have requested more public bathrooms in the downtown district. Now, they have one that is being pitched as a restroom that comes without many of the problems often associated with public toilets.

But the new facility also comes with a pretty hefty price tag of nearly $268,000.

City officials announced the opening of the Portland Loo on Monday, and the new single-occupant restroom is located in front of the City Hall annex at 94 Santa Rosa Ave. The loo is a unisex restroom and features coated stainless-steel walls that the company that manufacturers the units in Portland, Oregon, say are difficult to vandalize and easy to clean.

A hand-washing station and a baby changing station is mounted on the exterior of the facility and the unit has an open bottom and top allowing site lines and sounds to carry outside the restroom to help prevent crime while still providing privacy, city officials said in a news release.

The solar-powered restroom also requires minimal utilities using just 1.28 gallons of water per flush and a max 60-watt energy load.

“Community members will be relieved to see the installation of the Portland Loo finally complete,” Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Rogers said in a news release.

The prefabricated restroom unit was approved by the Santa Rosa City Council in June 2019 and approved the location of the new restroom facility in December of the same year.

The price of the unit includes the purchase and fabrication of the restroom, the delivery, utility connections, site improvements, and installation.