City Breaks Ground on $19.3 Million Design-Build Project That Will Construct Five New Public Restrooms

Facilities will be built at NYC Parks across the City, starting off with Murphy Brothers Playground and East River Park

DDC: Denisse Moreno, 718-391-1854, [email protected]
NYC Parks: 212-360-1311, [email protected]

(New York, NY - June 26, 2026) NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Paul A. Ochoa and NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura today announced the start of a $19.3 million project that will build five public restroom buildings across City parks. DDC is managing the project for Parks and is using the design-build alternative delivery method, substantially reducing the construction timeline, and in turn lowering costs for the City compared to traditional system of lowest bidder contracting.

"This $19.3 million design-build project matches the urgency New Yorkers in search of a public bathroom know all too well," said Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson. "Using the design-build alternative delivery method will shave year's off of this project's timeline. Needing to use the bathroom with none nearby shouldn't be the norm, and I am thrilled that five new public, accessible bathrooms are coming to our city soon."

"When you gotta go, you gotta go. We all know the feeling of needing a restroom and not having one nearby, and I am thrilled DDC is breaking ground on five new public restroom facilities across New York City," said NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Paul A. Ochoa. "Using design-build, we will deliver durable, ADA-accessible public restroom buildings faster. Through this project we are also solidifying our commitment to supporting M/WBEs across the City by partnering with InfoTran Engineers & Architects, P.C., a minority business enterprise, and Armand Corporation, a minority woman-owned business. We thank NYC Parks for partnering with us to deliver these essential facilities to New Yorkers."

"All New Yorkers deserve access to clean, reliable, and accessible public restrooms. Whether it is visiting a playground, participating in a recreational program, enjoying time with family, or simply spending the day outdoors, Parks restrooms help ensure that everyone can fully use and enjoy our public spaces," said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura. "We're grateful for the partnership of DDC in constructing these new facilities, and especially proud that this project will be delivered with a faster construction timeline through design-build and in partnership with minority- and women-owned businesses, creating diverse opportunities while delivering critical infrastructure that serves New Yorkers for generations to come."

The project will construct five new public restroom buildings in several locations: Murphy Brothers Playground and East River Park, both in Manhattan; Kissena Park and Brookville Park, both in Queens; and Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The 760-square-foot facilities will have a men's restroom, women's restroom and a mechanical room. The new restroom building at Murphy Brothers Playground, which the City broke ground on today, will help serve the youth playing in the Stuyvesant Town Little League, as well as a new playground and dog run built under the East Side Coastal Resiliency project, which includes upgrades to East River Park, Murphy Brothers Playground and infrastructure that will help protect 110,000 New Yorkers from the impacts of climate change.

The new restroom facilities will include ADA-accessible features, drinking fountains, sustainable roofs and energy-efficient lighting to reduce electricity costs. The buildings' plumbing systems will be connected to the City's underground sewer and drainage connections, adding to the overall costs, and will also be constructed with durable, low-maintenance materials. Both features will ensure reliability, reduce flooding and maintenance issues, and support long-term resiliency for NYC Parks and the community for years to come. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Design-build has allowed DDC to ensure higher M/WBE participation from the outset by including 30% goals for both design and construction phases. For this project, DDC selected Armand Corporation, a minority woman-owned business, and InfoTran Engineers & Architects, P.C., a minority business enterprise. With these partnerships, M/WBE utilization for the project's design phase is at 98 percent and 67 percent for the construction phase.

Using design-build, DDC is accelerating this project's construction timeline by approximately three to four years, leading to lower costs for the City. The price tag for each facility is $3.8 million. Design-build streamlines design and construction through early collaboration, allowing critical public infrastructure to reach communities faster while saving costs. DDC has successfully completed projects for Parks using design-build, including the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in Brooklyn and the Orchard Beach Maintenance & Operations Center in the Bronx. Other projects DDC is currently completing with design-build include the Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center in Staten Island and the Roy Wilkins Recreation Center in Queens.

"We are grateful to the New York City Department of Design and Construction for the opportunity to help deliver this important project," said Barbara A. Armand, Founder, President, and CEO of Armand Corporation. "This milestone reflects the strength of our team and our long-standing commitment to community-focused infrastructure. We are proud to support the delivery of essential public facilities that will serve New Yorkers across multiple boroughs.

"Functional public restrooms at our city playgrounds are not a luxury - they are a necessity," said Assemblymember Keith Powers. "I'm thrilled to continue the work I started as a Council Member to bring new public restrooms to the Murphy Brothers Playground. I'd like to thank my partners across city government and all of the community advocates who made this possible."

"Access to safe and public restrooms should be a right for all New Yorkers," said New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez. "A lack of facilities should not be a barrier to children, families, and community members enjoying a public park. Thank you to NYC Parks, NYC Department of Design and Construction, Commissioners Tricia Shimamura, and Paul Ochoa, and all the advocates that fought for this. I look forward to seeing the project completed!"

"This groundbreaking is a genuine cause for celebration," said Sandy McKee, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 6. "With only ten public restrooms in Manhattan Community District 6 today, a clean and accessible restroom is not a luxury - it is a matter of public health, dignity, and basic quality of life for our seniors, our families, people with disabilities, the delivery workers who keep this city moving, and everyone who comes to our parks. This restroom brings us one step closer to a goal our board has set: doubling the number of public restrooms in our district and ensuring every park has one. We thank the Department of Design and Construction, NYC Parks, and Assembly Member Powers for their partnership, and we look forward to returning for the ribbon-cutting."

About NYC Parks
NYC Parks is the steward of more than 30,000 acres of land - 14 percent of New York City - including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 1,800 basketball courts, 550 tennis courts, 66 public pools, 52 recreational facilities, 15 nature centers, 14 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. We care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. We look after 666,000 street trees, and five million more in parks. We are New York City's principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City's primary capital construction project manager, providing New York's diverse communities in all five boroughs with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains. To manage this $34 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experiences bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.