Showers and Changing Stations Open Near Rudee Inlet

This much-needed facility at the south end of the Boardwalk is the model for new restrooms planned for construction in other locations along the Oceanfront over the next several years.

This first phase of the $2.2 million project to upgrade Resort Area restroom facilities is located near existing restrooms at 2^nd Street and features an exterior rinse station, shower stalls with changing stations, and surfboard storage. They are open from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Public restrooms are currently located at 2^nd, 17^th, 24^th, 30^th and 31^st streets with portable restrooms filling in the gaps. Later phases of the project will include renovating existing restrooms and constructing up to three new 400-square-foot facilities to better serve all 40 blocks of the resort with clean, modern restrooms, and more shower/foot washes.

The plan is for all of them to look similar to create a recognizable presence in the Resort area. The new facility opened in mid-June and construction on the next restroom facility may begin as early as this winter and be completed by summer of 2022.

Money for construction comes from the City’s Tourism Investment Program (TIP) fund, which is comprised mostly of additional, dedicated taxes imposed on tourism-related venues specifically to help pay for tourism-related projects.

“The new showers offer a degree of privacy that the rinse off stations along the Boardwalk simply don’t. We know day-trippers are more likely to stay for dinner and entertainment after a day in the water if they have a place to wash and change,” said Emily Archer, a Senior Planner & Urban Designer for the Department of Economic Development. “This translates into more funding for essential City services like police, fire, emergency medical, schools, stormwater and roads.”