Forest Hills Stadium concert season in question amid permit dispute
Amid ongoing litigation surrounding noise at Forest Hills Stadium, a new announcement from the NYPD has called the 2025 summer concert season into question.
In a letter addressed to event operator Tiebreaker Productions and the West Side Tennis Club, which leases the venue, Legal Bureau Inspector William Gallagher announced the NYPD will not issue mandatory sound amplification permits for events at Forest Hills Stadium until further notice. The letter cited the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation's refusal to close its privately-owned streets surrounding the stadium as the reason for the denial of permits, claiming the neighborhood's objection will interfere with necessary crowd control.
"This latest move by the NYPD is absolutely pivotal," Forest Hills Gardens Corporation law chair Matthew Mandell said.
He argues a post-pandemic surge in both concert volume and frequency has soured the relationship between the venue and its neighbors.
Forest Hills Stadium moving forward with concert season
The West Side Tennis Club dismissed the announcement in a statement via attorney Akiva Shapiro:
"Just last month, Mayor Adams personally tweeted his support for the Stadium as a thriving cultural hub and a significant economic engine in Queens. Neither the Stadium's owner nor operator have received any communication from the NYPD concerning sound permits, which have always been granted to the Stadium upon request, including as recently as this past October," Shapiro said. "Because nothing has changed in the last five months, because the NYPD has not raised any concerns with the Stadium directly, and because the City would risk significant liability if it were to abruptly shut the Stadium down, we can only assume that no such final decision has been made. Although we trust that these rumors are unfounded and question where they are coming from, we find them extremely troubling and are demanding answers from the highest levels of the Adams administration."
In a post on X, Forest Hills Stadium further refuted the contents of the letter:
"Forest Hills Stadium is moving forward with our 2025 concert schedule as planned and our permitting timeline is on its standard schedule. As happens every season, the vocal NIMBY minority of Forest Hills Gardens are attempting to roadblock yet another enjoyable season of music."
The Forest Hills Gardens Corporation countered, saying, in part:
"...After almost two years of litigation, the FHGC Board is united in its desire to resolve this situation so that concerts can proceed in a manner that respects the rights, safety, and well-being of the community. The NYPD letter indicates a 'hope that the WSTC and FHGC will come together and reach a solution to this issue so that the NYPD may resume issuance of sound amplification permits.' The FHGC Board fully agrees and is committed to engaging in constructive dialogue with all parties to find a path forward that respects the needs of the community while allowing for appropriately managed events at the Stadium...."
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