Residents in Queens near Forest Hills Stadium are experiencing disruptions and damage to their homes due to the loud concerts held at the venue. Homeowners have reported cracked walls and constant vibrations from the blaring music, with some even finding 7-foot-long cracks that were not there before. Videos and photos show doors and plants shaking from the music, as well as concertgoers urinating on lawns and leaving behind piles of discarded booze cans.
The first concert of the season at the 13,000-seat Forest Hills Stadium on May 4 featured rock bands Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, and Primus, with the music being described as “as loud as ever” by a community group. Police responded to a 311 complaint about loud music during the show. A judge recently issued a preliminary injunction in response to a lawsuit by the Forest Hills Gardens Corp. against the stadium operator, ordering the venue to cap excessive noise levels that were approximately 100 times the legal limit.
The ruling instructed the homeowner’s association to hire an independent contractor to monitor noise levels and report findings after shows, as well as requiring the stadium to put up barricades to prevent concertgoers from entering the residential neighborhood. Community groups like Concerned Citizens of Forest Hills are demanding further restrictions on concerts, blaming elected officials for failing to enforce regulations. Longtime residents like Ann Whyte are calling for action to address the ongoing disruptions from the concerts.
The number of concerts at Forest Hills Stadium has nearly tripled from the original 10 to 15 events per year that the community was initially told. Sound checks sometimes start a day before an act goes on, leading to prolonged disturbances, and some festivals can go on all day. The stadium, which opened in 1923 and was once the home of the US Open, has been adapted for concerts. State Sen. Joe Addabbo has written to the tennis club that operates the stadium, urging them to reduce the number of concerts on holidays and school nights, address issues with parking, trash, and traffic, and comply with the 10 p.m. cutoff time and city noise regulations.
Despite the concerns and demands from residents and community groups, the Forest Hills Stadium has yet to respond to inquiries about the ongoing issues. The lack of action from the stadium operator and elected officials has left residents frustrated and seeking solutions to the disruptions caused by the loud concerts at the venue. With the summer concert season in full swing, residents in Queens are bracing for more disturbances and damages to their homes unless further measures are taken to address the noise levels and other issues associated with the events at Forest Hills Stadium.
