Forest Hills Stadium has received orders to reduce its noise levels and patterns of trespassing during this year’s Summer concert season, following much uproar from residents and officials who say they are inconvenienced especially by the loudness.
The complaints had come from community members at the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, a private neighborhood where the stadium is located, as residents have long voiced their grievances with the noise and crowds attracted by the venue.
In response to these concerns, Queens Supreme Court Justice Joseph Esposito, has ordered the stadium, its owner, West Side Tennis Club, and its concert operator, Tiebreaker, to monitor sound and crowd levels along with controlling trespassing. Otherwise, the community could face “irreparable harm,” said Justice Esposito.
He is currently ruling on the motion, as the full case has yet to be ruled on. This action differs slightly from the injunction ruling in another Forest Hills Stadium case by Judge Robert Caloras.
Judge Esposito ruled that the stadium would have to obtain a sound permit from the NYPD, and further regulate sound levels through an independent noise monitoring organization approved by the court.
Residents have testified in court and through interviews, asserting that the concert noise from the stadium exceeds sound regulations, resulting in rattling windows in their homes.
“The affidavit of the plaintiffs’ expert, wherein he concluded that the noise complained of was approximately 100 times the legal limit for the residential neighborhood, was unrebutted by competent proof, and the affidavits of the residents detailed the nightly assault on the quiet enjoyment of their respective homes,” court documents read.
Locals have also reported that the crowds descending on the 13,000-capacity stadium have trespassed on their property and created dangerous road conditions, along with damaging property through littering and public urination.
In his ruling, Esposito ordered the stadium to implement more barricades and ensure their security prevents access to residential areas.
The concert season at Forest Hills Stadium begins with a concert on Saturday, May 4th. Yet with disagreements between Queens officials, it’s still not completely certain how the issue of noise and crowd levels will be resolved.
