Forest Hills Stadium in Queens faces lawsuit over noise complaints

QUEENS - The Forest Hills neighborhood in Queens has been buzzing with the sounds of concerts blaring through the streets – a source of thousands of complaints so far this year.

"The operation of these concerts is illegal, that they violate the noise code," said Christopher Rizzo, an attorney representing the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation.

Peter Vovsha loves music, and he’s spent years studying it.

But when it’s not just heard, but felt, inside of his home coming from the stadium a block away during concerts, he’s got some complaints.

"Levels of noise according to our management is 10 times higher than the norm, outrageous," Vovsha said.

Stars such as Leon Bridges have taken center stage just up the street from him, but what comes with the performances is overwhelming.

Hundreds of homeowners fed up so much that they filed a lawsuit, hoping a judge will declare the open-air concert operation illegal.

"They create a private nuisance, they create a public nuisance that they result in a trespass on private property, that they violate the New York City's zoning resolution," Rizzo said.

Even as a music lover, Vovsha wants sleep at night, and a remedy to the overwhelming surge of sound would be music to his ears.

"There might be an engineering solution to that, not necessarily stop the concert," Vovsha said.

The Department of Environmental Protection said they understand complaints coming from neighbors, but they simply don’t have the capacity to monitor each and every concern.

They’re working with consultants to modify the stadium itself, so it’s a little less noisy this time around next concert season.