Striking the Right Balance on the Forest Hills Stadium Concerts

Concerts in the historic Forest Hills Stadium bring vibrancy, culture, tourism, and business opportunities to our neighborhood since their reopening in 2013. Nevertheless, the Stadium is adjacent to a residential neighborhood where residents have over the past years been harmed by persistent noise, feelings of insecurity, and trash, which have not been mitigated by the event’s promoter. The promoter has consistently refused to comply with the terms of the permit that requires a 10:00 pm end time.

For example, on concert days, substance abuse at the concerts is causing concern for the safety of the community, particularly elders and children. Neighbors have also reported trash outside of their homes, excessive honking and noise, car alarms blaring all night, and general disruption to their quality of life.

To address this situation, residents have been trying hard to find a solution by reaching out to the 112th Precinct, local elected representatives, the Mayor’s Office and the concert promotor. The response: inaction and dismissal of their legitimate concerns. These are our neighbors and they – like the rest of us – deserve to have their concerns heard by elected representatives and their livelihoods respected.

Over the past few weeks, I have had discussions with neighbors about the harmful impact the persistent concert noise has had on their lives. It’s deeply concerning that no action has been taken by our elected representatives and government, which seem to prioritize the promoter of these events - who does not live here - over our community members.

In my discussions with the 112th precinct, the police claim it is unable to enforce the 10:00 pm end time due to concerns that this could result in violence and disorder by the attendees. However, some concerts have ended at 10:00 pm and there has been no disorder. The risk of potential disorder could also be prevented by the promoter, who can make clear in the tickets the ending time for every concert.

The promoter has not committed to changing his behavior and comply with the 10:00 pm end time, in line with the permit provided by the police. As a result, the police and the Department of Environmental Protection have issued citations and fines but the low cost of the fine has not led to any change in behavior.

Lack of response from our representatives - who seem to privilege the promoter and not our community residents’ interests first – has also caused frustration. Our Assemblymember, Andrew Hevesi, is reportedly “uncomfortable” advocating that a multi-billion-dollar international business respect the community and its residents. Neighbors have noted that Councilmember Schulman has not followed through for several months on a commitment to arrange a meeting with the 112th precinct while at the same time accepting multiple campaign contributions from the promoter.

How do we move forward? There needs to be a meeting of the stakeholders to develop workable solutions for all sides. The Mayor’s Office needs to make sure that the provisions of the city noise code are effectively enforced. And problems with traffic, parking, trash, and Uber cars idling in residential neighborhoods need to be addressed in a more vigorous and serious way. There are many possibilities to resolve this: better ending plans for attendees, parking modifications, and noise-level adjustments. Our government and the promoter must provide the community with a plan to minimize the harmful impacts on residents. This way, we can all continue to enjoy concerts while also respecting the rights of our neighbors.