City Council Decides to Relocate Controversial Desiderio Park Bathroom

Down one member, the Pasadena City Council approved a motion to relocate a controversial “million dollar” public bathroom facility for Desiderio Park beneath the Colorado Street Bridge during a call for review hearing at Monday night’s Council meeting.

The Council did not overturn the earlier Design Commission’s approval of the bathroom’s architecture or reduced size, which had been appealed by several area neighbors.

The item is scheduled to return to the Council in late August.

Monday night’s public hearing before the vote was punctuated by passion as nearby neighbors described their concerns with the bathroom’s proposed location, size, and design.

There were many concerns raised during the approximately one hour and forty-five-minute hearing. Among them, safety, primarily because of the number of suicides in the immediate area of people jumping from the Colorado Street Bridge directly above.

Both residents and Councilmembers discussed the specter of children playing in the park suffering lifelong trauma from witnessing a suicidal person fall to death.

Another major concern is the bathroom’s cost.

Councilmember Andy Wilson said he has trouble getting over the $1 million cost of a 600-square foot restroom.

In the end, the Council decided to relocate the bathroom farther away from Arroyo Boulevard, just north of the children’s play area referred to as the “tot lot,” south of the Bridge.

The City’s Public Works department was instructed to bring back an exact new location to be presented at the Council’s August 20 meeting.