NYC Parks to Hold Public Hearing on Proposed New Park Rules

Flushing Meadows Corona Park, NYC Parks Department

 

 

 

Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Photo credit: Daniel Avila/NYC Parks

NYC Parks today announced it will hold a public hearing on July 7, 2023, for proposed new rules to change the application timeline for Special Event permits and to establish standards for the distribution of permits for multi-day Special Events in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. New Yorkers have an opportunity to submit comment on the proposed new rules beginning this Tuesday, June 6, 2023; comment submissions will be accepted until Friday, July 7, 2023.

The proposed rules would:

  • Change the date at which Parks begins to accept applications for Special Events permits (from the first Monday in November to the Tuesday following Labor Day in September), allowing an additional two months for the planning process

  • Provide better guidance to permit applicants regarding the size and duration of suitable events in Flushing Meadows Corona Park (FMCP) by establishing a process for large-size or multi-day events in FMCP and requiring applicants for large events to submit a transportation plan

  • Promote a broader array of events and greater access to FMCP by giving preference to proposed events that did not take place in the prior year and limiting the number of multi-day events to no more than two events per calendar year, in both cases excepting events that have a 10-year or longer history in FMCP

  • Set maximum attendance for events within FMCP to 40,000 at any one time

  • Account for the large crowd size, transportation impacts, and length of events while ensuring the protection of FMCP’s natural and landscaped environment

  • Preserve accessibility at FMCP by members of the public not attending the planned events

The proposed rules will be available for review Here.

Regarding the Hearing, New Yorkers interested in speaking at the public hearing on July 7 at the Al Oerter Recreation Center, 131-40 Fowler Avenue, Queens, can do so for three (3) minutes by signing up:

Phone:           212-360-1355

On-site:          Al Oerter Recreation Center, Hearing Room sign-up sheet

Comments can be submitted to NYC Parks beginning June 6, 2023, and must be submitted by July 7, 2023, via:

Website:          http://rules.cityofnewyork.us

Email:              rules@parks.nyc.gov.

Mail:  

Attn. David Lepard, Assistant Counsel, The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, The Arsenal, Central Park, Room 312, 830 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10065                      

Fax:                 

Attn. David Lepard, Assistant Counsel, 917-849-6795