Mayor Mamdani to invest $4 million to expand public bathrooms across NYC

Emma Seiwell and Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News on Jan 10, 2026

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NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani has two words for New Yorkers hoping for more public bathrooms across the city as he announced Saturday he’s investing $4 million into the very pressing initiative: “Let’s go!”

Mamdani, alongside other city officials, announced a new program to increase the number of public restrooms in the city and for high-quality modular public restrooms at a news conference outside Riverside Park near 12th Ave. and St. Clair Pl. in West Harlem, where a new public restroom is planned to be installed later this year that will be fully accessible, self-cleaning and sporting a water bottle filler.

The multimillion-dollar plan was sparked by the city’s request for proposals for restrooms that would eliminate the need to drill underground to be connected to the city’s sewer and water lines.

“In a city that has everything, the one thing that is often impossible to find is a public bathroom,” Mamdani said. “In the greatest city in the world, you should not have to spend $9 to buy a coffee just to be able to find a little relief. And I have spoken about my desire to make our city more affordable, so that dignity no longer feels so remote and inaccessible to New Yorkers.”

The program would also add more restrooms to public plazas since most of the city’s nearly 1,000 existing public restrooms are currently located within parks. Maintenance for the new restrooms would be done twice a day.

“The City Council has been clear that this is a quality-of-life issue we can’t ignore, which is why we passed legislation to double the number of public restrooms by 2035,” Council Speaker Julie Menin said. “By working in partnership with Mayor Mamdani, we’re turning that commitment into action, and today’s announcement is an important step toward making it real for every New Yorker.”

“We have to protect our public space and prioritize people in the process,” local Council member Shaun Abreu said. “Prioritize people in the public realm, trash containerization, expanding public bathrooms, street redesign to improve pedestrian safety. We can do it all. Mayor Mamdani and Speaker Menin are going to make sure we do. I truly cannot ask for better partners when it comes to investing in Harlem.”

Where the new restrooms will be located will be determined by city agencies, including the Department of Transportation.

“Public restrooms improve the quality of life for everyone,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said, “especially our seniors, parents with young children, delivery workers, people with disabilities and so many more.”