Forest Hills Stadium strikes deal with locals, ending years-long legal fight
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Forest Hills Stadium will have a 28-show cap for the next seven years as part of a deal with locals in Forest Hills Gardens. Photo via Forest Hills Stadium
By Ryan Schwach
A years-long legal saga between Forest Hills Stadium and the private New York City neighborhood the concert venue is located in came to an end this week, after the two groups struck a deal that allows concerts to continue and the neighborhood to profit from them.
For the first time in over three years, there are no ongoing lawsuits against the central Queens venue after its owners, West Side Tennis Club, and its operator, Tiebreaker Productions, reached a deal with the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, the group that manages Forest Hills Gardens.
The agreement allows the stadium to host up to 28 concerts per year for the next seven years, with an option to go up to 29 after 2033. In previous years, there have been as many as 36.
“This is a hard limit — the promoter cannot simply add more shows,” FHGC said in a message to residents obtained by the Eagle.
Tennis events and symphony shows do not contribute to that total.
The stadium will have to maintain a 10 p.m. curfew, which was already in place, for most shows, and will have to continue to monitor noise levels. The NYPD will maintain designated routes away from homes for attendees making their way to stadium events.
As part of the deal, Forest Hills Stadium will provide “substantial” payments to the neighborhood corporation, including a one-time, up-front payment of $275,000, which will in part go toward “restoration and beautification projects.”
FHS will pay the FHGC $15,500 per show for the first three years of the deal, going up to $16,500 for the final four.
A special referee will also be appointed to resolve any other disputes between the groups under the new deal. However, that referee has yet to be named.
According to the letter to its residents, FHGC said Tiebreaker will also be required to appoint a community liaison who can respond to locals’ concerns during shows.
The agreement will last seven years, with renewal options for an additional seven years.
“We are very happy that we were able to reach a settlement,” the board of FHGC said in a statement.
The current board of directors at FHGC, a wealthy private community that surrounds the stadium and owns its land, was elected overwhelmingly last year with the promise that it would reach an agreement with the stadium and end the ongoing litigation.
“With the divisiveness of the lawsuits now behind us, we look forward to building a constructive working relationship with the Stadium and are proud to usher in this new chapter for our community,” the statement said. “For the first time in years, the Forest Hills Gardens community has clear, enforceable protections for how the Stadium operates — a firm limit on the number of shows, a strict curfew, fireworks only with neighborhood approval, and meaningful financial payments.”
The stadium also celebrated the new deal.
“First and foremost, we strive to be a good neighbor by hosting unique music and cultural events that create a positive economic impact, all while serving the neighborhood's ethos through partnerships, local sponsorships and sharing the use of our physical space for fundraisers and children's events,” stadium leadership said. “The Club, the Garden and the Stadium are each more than a century old and, together, share a deep interest in stewarding and protecting these precious pieces of New York City history; to maintain what came before us, to enhance our relationship with the current community, and to ensure the future of these important entities.”
“This agreement preserves the Stadium’s future and directly supports the neighborhood we are so lucky to call home,” they added.
The two sides had a deal until 2022 before becoming locked in various lawsuits over the stadium’s use of the land, sound levels and raucous crowds that disrupted the generally quiet Queens community.
Community members had long complained about concert noise levels that would shake windows, and crowds that would leave trash and urinate on lawns.
While this week’s deal brings closure between the stadium and FHGC, another group of local residents who go by the name of “Concerned Citizens” has not been satisfied with the stadium's efforts to address the quality-of-life issues.
Members of the Concerned Citizens group have continued to argue that despite previous arrangements with the stadium to control its noise levels, the problems have persisted. The city’s Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that last year it issued noise code violations to the stadium on 12 out of the 14 times it took readings inside nearby homes, on par with the 11 out of 13 times the year prior.
In June, a Queens judge dismissed a lawsuit the Concerned Citizens had brought against the stadium, but the group said they would continue to explore future legal actions.
Representatives of Concerned Citizens did not respond to the Eagle’s request for comment on the deal before press time.
Councilmember Lynn Schulman, who represents the community around the stadium, said she was glad to see a deal reached after “several contentious years.”
“The Stadium has been an economic boon to our community and I look forward to seeing the details of the final agreement, which I hope address concerns raised by residents, while preserving the cultural and musical aspects that many have come to enjoy in Forest Hills,” she said in a statement to the Eagle.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has long tried to get the community and the stadium to resolve its issues and also celebrated the deal on Wednesday.
"Ensuring this space remains a hub of first-rate entertainment, where Queens residents and international tourists alike are united through music has been and will remain a major priority of my office," said the BP. "The World's Borough deserves a world-class concert space like Forest Hills Stadium, just as much as the surrounding businesses deserve to enjoy the economic spoils of the venue and area residents deserve as peaceful of a quality-of-life as possible. I'm proud that a deal has been struck that will help guarantee exactly that for all involved."
