Proposed Changes to Leadbetter Restrooms Rile Up Santa Barbara Swimmers

For those who take a daily dip in the ocean, the outdoor shower stalls at Santa Barbara’s Leadbetter Beach are a welcome amenity — a perfect place to clean off after a morning swim and socialize with fellow swimmers, or “ocean ducks” as they call themselves. But proposed changes to the shower facilities are ruffling the feathers of these ocean ducks, who fear that the city’s new facilities will take away that sense of community that brought the swimmers together.

According to the city, the existing restrooms at Leadbetter were built in 1969, and though there have been mechanical upgrades to equipment over the past 50-plus years, this will be the first complete renovation of the site since its original construction.

Much of the reason behind the upgrade, according to Santa Barbara Waterfront Project Engineer Lyn Burich, is to sustain the city’s “long-standing commitment to keeping facilities code-compliant and current with ADA standards.” More specifically, the proposed changes would “address outstanding accessibility requirements and upgrade finishes to be more comfortable and functional.”

But it isn’t the accessibility upgrades or ADA-compliant stalls inside the restrooms that have the ocean swimmers upset. According to the project drawings, the renovation also entails the removal of the outdoor communal changing areas and wind-protection walls on the south side of the restrooms, something that was motivated less by accessibility concerns than by the threat of criminal activity in the area.

[Click to enlarge] Bathroom renderings | Credit: Courtesy

Cyndi Coyne, who uses the Leadbetter facilities almost daily, is one of many Santa Barbara swimmers speaking out against the proposed renovations. Coyne says the changes would “take away more than they would give.”

“Please do not relegate the enjoyment of this public space by narrowly responding to the few engaging in lawless behavior,” she said. “There are other ways of addressing the need to be in conformity with required ADA additional changes, and ways to try to minimize the harm done by a few in the way of littering, defacing, alcohol, drug use, and other criminal activity. The proposed changes throw the proverbial beach babies out with the tainted ocean water.” 
Coyne and other ocean swimmers raised concerns during a public meeting about the project that was held at the Harbor on December 14, 2023. There, the swimming community urged the city to consider less drastic measures than abolishing the changing area altogether, such as adding locking gates or making the walls harder to climb after hours. Since then, several more ocean swimmers have written letters to media outlets and city officials asking for a better solution.

Another self-proclaimed ocean duck, Patrick Boyle, said he has become part of a community as a swimmer in Santa Barbara. Every day, working-class swimmers and students from Santa Barbara City College’s swim classes use the area to change, as did the daring cold-water swimmers who took part in the Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day. 

The current setup, Boyle says, allows the swimmers to be safe from the ocean winds and allows more than one person to use the outdoor facilities at a time. And once those walls are torn down, he added, even if swimmers can still use the new shower poles, it would compromise the sense of community and privacy.

“If it ain’t broken, why fix it?” Boyle asked. “You can add an ADA toilet without knocking down walls or showers.”

Others are urging the city to wait to consider the arguments from those who were unable to make it to the December 14 meeting, including the hundreds of City College students who register for surf and swim classes each semester.

Details and drawings for the proposed Leadbetter restroom renovation are available at the city website, and another public meeting is expected to be held in the near future.