Durham residents who voted for a high-tech, self-cleaning public restroom downtown are getting something more basic: a standard toilet.
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While a $350,000 restroom project was approved through Durham’s Participatory Budgeting program, city officials say the facility will look different from what was promised on the ballot. The project is part of a $2.4 million slate of community initiatives approved under the program, which invites residents to vote on how they want to spend a small percentage of the city budget.
“The city initially explored a self-cleaning restroom model for this project; however, we were not able to secure the number of restrooms required for the city to move forward with that type of infrastructure,” said Carmen Ortiz with the city’s Community Partnerships and Engagement Department. “The restroom will still be designed to meet applicable safety, sanitation, and accessibility standards.”
There are no dedicated public restrooms in downtown Durham right now, forcing visitors, residents and the unhoused community to look to nearby stores or businesses. The most reliable public alternatives are located blocks away at the Main Library or Durham Station.
Walter Stanley, the manager of the Federal, a beer bar on West Main Street, said he and neighboring business owners have talked about getting a downtown public restroom before.
A restroom could benefit downtown businesses, especially during busy events like the vintage clothing market on South Duke Street. Federal and other downtown bars also get more weekend foot traffic because they’re in the city’s Bullpen Social District, which allows people to carry alcoholic beverages within designated boundaries.
“We have people constantly coming in, and you don’t want to seem uninviting. You don’t want to say ‘hey, our restrooms are for paying customers,’” Stanley said. “So if there was a way to alleviate that, I think that would be awesome.”
His only concern is safety and how the facility will be monitored.
Kenny Valenzuela, the director for Clean and Safe at Downtown Durham Inc., the nonprofit overseeing downtown’s revitalization, said a public restroom would help “create a more welcoming, comfortable and enjoyable downtown experience for everyone.”
“Public restrooms can encourage people to stay longer, attend events, visit multiple businesses, and experience everything downtown has to offer,” he said. “It’s important that our public infrastructure evolves to meet the needs of the people who spend time here.”
Viki Baker, the director of community engagement for the Urban Ministries of Durham homeless shelter on Liberty Street, said the public restroom is “a positive move forward.”
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“Any solution to improve access to public hygiene is a win, especially for community members experiencing homelessness,” Baker said in an email.
At Durham Central Park, there are restrooms available for the public. But they’re only open for events, said Erin Kauffman, the park’s director.
Having more public restrooms downtown meets a “need that we’ve been trying to figure out how to fulfill for a very long time.”
Central Park has worked with the city to get a portable restroom, but Kauffman said it is time for downtown to have something nicer. The major concern is maintenance. Public restrooms are expensive and need around-the-clock cleaning.
Durham residents and students as young as 13 were allowed to vote on which projects should receive a slice of the city’s Capital Improvement Fund through the Participatory Budgeting program, Ortiz said.
The downtown restroom was one of six winning proposals approved in the latest voting cycle. Other funded projects include:
Durham locals will have to wait to use the restroom. The initiative is still in its early planning stages, with no specific downtown location or construction timeline established yet, Ortiz said. Participatory Budgeting projects are typically completed within two to three years after a public vote.
The site selection will come during an upcoming design phase, taking into account factors like public need, site availability, utility access and long-term upkeep.
Also, the $350,000 for the restroom is only for the design and construction of the facility, leaving the long-term operating budget up to city leaders, Ortiz said.
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For more information about Participatory Budgeting, go to pbdurham.org.
This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 7:00 AM.