Queens natives LL Cool J and Run-DMC may be hip-hop royalty, but to some residents of the exclusive Forest Hills Gardens enclave, they were just a nuisance last August.
New York City’s 311 system received 55 noise complaints in the ZIP code containing Forest Hills Stadium — nearly all of them targeting the venue and surrounding blocks — on Aug. 6, 2022, the day the legendary rappers headlined the Rock the Bells Festival there, a Gothamist review of complaints shows.
The festival marked an escalation in an ongoing legal dispute between the 13,000-seat stadium and some residents who say the concerts are too loud and attract too many outsiders to their private, planned community, where about 900 Tudor-style homes line private streets. While some residents complain about the noise, others revel in their proximity to the venue, with local business owners saying the concerts are a boon to their stores and restaurants.
Gothamist matched the date of each Forest Hills Stadium concert since 2019 with the number of 311 noise complaints targeting the venue and the nearby blocks. The data shows claims are way up over the past year, with complainants flooding 311 pretty much every time performers take the stage and concertgoers trek through the neighborhood.
The 311 call volume increases on the second or third day of consecutive performances, or whenever a longer festival takes place, records show.
The complaint total for the day of the 2022 Rock the Bells Festival has since been surpassed by three other performance dates.
An Oct. 1, 2022 concert featuring indie rock stars the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Japanese Breakfast tops the charts, with 62 noise complaints in the Forest Hills ZIP code containing the venue.
The 311 system received 58 noise complaints in that ZIP code on Aug. 27, 2022, the day electronic pop groups ODESZA and Sylvan Esso performed, with all but two targeting the venue or the streets immediately surrounding it. And there were 56 noise complaints to 311 on the…
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