Forest Hills Stadium promises summer concerts will happen but residents say theres a catch

Forest Hills Stadium is claiming victory in the battle to put on its summer concert series as planned — but frustrated neighbors accused the iconic Queens venue of lying to the NYPD to get what it wants.The stadium and its concert partner, Tiebreaker Productions, promised cops it could quell safety concerns by using its own security squads to shut down streets around the venue on concert days — but local critics said Tuesday that those streets are private property.And if the first concert of the year hits any snags, the rest of the schedule can be put back in the crosshairs.The venue’s promise to patrol paved the way for the stadium to continue with its concert season opener on May 31 after the property management group the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation had refused to let the NYPD shut down privately owned streets.

That decision forced the city to deny permits for sound amplification, threatening the summer slate of concerts.“Forest Hills Gardens Corporation remains steadfast in its commitment to resolving all issues constructively through the agreed-upon mediation process,” FHGC said in a statement.“Attempts to bypass this process, especially through unauthorized use of private property, are deeply concerning and counterproductive.“We urge all parties to approach this moment with integrity and a shared commitment to the rule of law and the well-being of our community.”According to the FHGC, Tiebreaker does not have the authority to deploy personnel into the privatized Gardens street, or to shut them down, without explicit permission by the homeowner’s group.“Tiebreaker has apparently represented to the NYPD that it has an agreement or other legal authority to do what NYPD has concluded it can no longer do—seize private streets for a third-party commercial event,” the FHGC said in a statement.The FHGC alleged that Tiebreaker “circumvented” the homeowners’ group by brokering a deal with the help of city officials like Queens Borough...