Residents press city on inadequate public restrooms as designers plan upgrades

Multiple speakers emphasized that the current Paraty Park building contains the only year‑round staffed public restrooms downtown and that demand regularly exceeds capacity. Liam Davis noted the existing building has “only 1 toilet in the men's room” and four in the women's room and said the proposed ground floor will be dedicated primarily to public restrooms and compact ticketing.

Harbormaster Steve Land and ticket booth operator Anne Johnson described daily lines and frequent walk‑ins: “There are people waiting when I get there at 08:00 to use the bathroom facilities,” Johnson said. Designers said the constrained ground‑floor footprint (code‑limited to around 1,500 square feet) means the new facility will be a significant upgrade but not sized for highest peak demand such as large events or cruise ship surges.