New Public Restroom Threatens Coney Island Condo Residents' Ocean Views
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Residents of a Coney Island luxury apartment complex have sued New York City over a public restroom going up on the boardwalk they say will obstruct their ocean views.
The new comfort station will replace a restroom beneath the boardwalk that was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.
The residents of Oceana said the city failed to notify them of the restroom until construction began last week.
"I have a copy of court papers where you can see the so-called public notice that they used to obtain the permits refers to a completely different location," resident Dmitry Geyber told 1010 WINS. "No wonder we never heard about it. When we found out, it was too late."
The city denies the claim.
The residents are seeking a temporary restraining order against the construction.
"The structure looks like a prison camp toilet," Geyber said. "It's a monstrous elevated construction of a two-toilet facility."
The city said it was continuing with the construction because a judge has given it permission to continue.
The city parks department said it presented the plan at a public community board meeting and reached out to other "stakeholders'' before construction began.
"We suffered so much during Sandy you can't imagine," Geyber said. "We were completely flooded. We lost absolutely all the utilities in the condominium and we have to spend money now on lawyers. It appears that Mr. Bloomberg wants to finish what Sandy couldn't do."
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