BP asks city to keep Forest Hills Stadium concerts going
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Queens Borough President Donovan Richards wants the city to ensure the Forest Hills Stadium concert season goes as scheduled following an NYPD permitting decision. Eagle file photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards wants the city to get the Forest Hills Stadium concert season back on track after a permitting decision made by the NYPD last week cast it into doubt.
Richards penned a letter to Mayor Eric Adams urging him to “reconsider” the city’s decision, citing the stadium’s impact on the community, despite the pushback from some locals who have complained about the noise and crowds the stadium brings.
Last week, the NYPD informed stadium officials that it won’t be able to guide foot traffic to and from the stadium or issue sound permits after the co-op the land belongs to – the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation – said the department can’t close the privately-owned local streets.
The department said that it was notified by the FHGC that it will no longer issue licenses to the stadium, which means the NYPD can’t close the streets and can’t appropriately maintain safety.
The decision has temporarily threatened to stop the summer concert series – which is supposed to begin at the end of May.
“To expect the stadium to cancel their operations, for an indeterminate period of time, and with no clear resolution in sight, would be financially devastating for the concert promotion team, the stadium’s hundreds of mostly unionized employees, the countless patrons who made travel plans to see a show and the artists scheduled to perform,” Richards said in his letter. “But most of all, such a cancellation would economically devastate many nearby restaurants, bars, shops and other establishments who see a surge in patronage on days when events are scheduled at the stadium. The loss of that revenue would undoubtedly put those businesses and the employment of their workers at risk.”
Richards cited the stadium’s history, and contributions to the borough.
“Forest Hills Stadium is a unique cultural destination that annually draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world, with its operation providing immense local economic benefits to surrounding businesses, creating hundreds of good-paying union jobs and generating critical tax revenues,” he said.
For around two-years, local groups and the stadium have been involved in contentious court battles over the stadium’s concerts.
Locals who live close to the stadium have long complained about the noise levels coming from the recently revived concert venue, as well as issues with the large crowds who descend on the 13,000-seat stadium and often trespass and leave trash.
The group currently suing the stadium is made up of residents of the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, the privately owned co-op who owns the land where the stadium sits.
In response, the stadium has called those locals a “not-in-my-backyard” minority that does not represent the wider community, an argument Richards echoed in his letter.
“To allow a minute number of frustrated individuals — representing a small fraction of the local community’s population — to shutter one of New York City’s most iconic and economically vital concert venues, simply by threatening legal action against the City, would be shortsighted and destructive,” he wrote. “The wider Forest Hills community as a whole has been almost universally supportive of the stadium, as seen through last year’s petition created by the venue's promoters.”
FHGC, in response to the letter, doubled down on their issues with the stadium and their support for the NYPD’s permitting decision.
“The Forest Hills Gardens Corporation (FHGC) remains hopeful that the West Side Tennis Club and its tenant, Tiebreaker, will engage in good-faith negotiations to reach an agreement that respects all stakeholders,” a spokesperson said. “We are grateful to the NYPD for taking the legally correct position and recognizing that FHGC's permission is required for the closure of its privately owned streets and that the NYPD cannot issue permits for events at the stadium without such permission.”
“While we acknowledge the stadium's cultural and economic contributions, creating jobs and providing entertainment does not grant anyone the right to repeatedly violate the noise code, disrupt residents’ daily lives, or obstruct access to homes and businesses. Economic benefits cannot justify legal violations,” the statement continued. “This issue is not about shutting down events but about ensuring that all parties operate within the law and respect the surrounding community.”
The city and Forest Hills Stadium did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.
