Staff recommends approval of Harborview restroom; neighbors raise erosion and view concerns

City contract planner Caitlin Cook presented the staff report for a conditional use permit to site a prefabricated Harborview restroom adjacent to the harbor parking lot. Staff described the structure as approximately 286 square feet with four exterior doors, two ADA stalls at the center of the floor plan, two drinking fountains, underground utilities and limited ground disturbance (approximately 12 inches). Staff said the site encroaches roughly 5 feet into the code’s "area of visual concern" but found the encroachment to be the minimum necessary to place the restroom adjacent to the existing parking lot and recommended approval with conditions, including a requirement that the applicant obtain a geologic permit under DCO 152.229 prior to issuance of a building permit.

The staff report emphasized mitigation: subdued, nonreflective exterior colors, downward‑directed lighting under 12 feet, a stormwater management plan, landscaping and an erosion control plan, and arborist protections. Staff said the site is previously impacted—gravel surfacing and utility mains—and that the prefabricated unit design constrained siting options. On the record, staff also noted that the geologic permit is underway and that Americans with Disabilities Act parking requirements are met by the existing single ADA stall in the lot per code ratio.