The Noe Valley public toilet is a planned public toilet in the San Francisco neighborhood Noe Valley. The original proposal was planned to occupy approximately 10 by 15 feet (3.0 m × 4.6 m) and to be funded by the State of California to address open defecation in the city.[1][2] The responsible government agency, San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, held a press conference in October 2020 in which the department projected its construction to cost $1.7 million.[1][3] San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight reported on the cost.[4] A celebration the city government had planned for the toilet was canceled due to public dissatisfaction with the price and the two year construction timeline.[5] California State Assembly member Matt Haney, representing part of San Francisco, was one of the critics, and stated it showed the city had a "dysfunctional bureaucracy".[6] Haney had secured the $1.7 million.[7]
The cost and time needed to construct the toilet was attributed to higher costs of materials in the area, the hiring of an architect, the solicitation of community feedback, and requirements for multiple reviews by commissions, such as the Civic Design Review Committee's determination of whether the project was "appropriate to its context in the urban environment", along with the corresponding need to pay for staff time.[8]
The office of California governor Gavin Newsom then announced it would withhold the funds until the cost was brought down. In January 2023, city officials announced they were accepting a donated modular bathroom from Public Restroom Company in Nevada. The new estimate with installation, electrical work, landscaping, and other costs comes to $725,000.[7] Volumetric Building Companies offered to cover costs on engineering and architecture work, and both companies would pay for unionized labor to install the toilet. The donated toilet is required to clear permitting and coordination with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Francisco Department of Public Works, Public Utilities Commission, Planning Department, Department of Building Inspection, Mayor's Office on Disability, and Arts Commission. The proposal is ongoing, with recent plans to install the donated bathroom breaking down in December 2023.[8]