Seaside Concerts May Vacate Asser-Levy Park

Borough President Marty Markowitz’s Seaside Summer Concerts will no longer take place at Asser-Levy Park, marking a victory for opponents of his amphitheater plans.

NY1 is reporting that the city is now considering new locations for the annual concerts, including the parking lot of the New York Aquarium.

The decision comes as Markowitz’s office secures the latest acts for the show, which has taken place every year in the park since 1991.

The borough president infuriated nearby residents when he unveiled plans last year to build a $64 million amphitheater taking up three-quarters of the park’s footprint. Opponents of the land grab rallied together with two local synagogues, and they filed a lawsuit in June 2010 against the city for their violation of noise laws, forbidding amplified concerts within 500 feet of a house of worship, schools, hospitals, and courthouses.

Just 300 feet away from the park, the Seaside Summer Concerts have coincided with the hours of worship of Congregation Sea Breeze Jewish Center and Congregation Temple Beth Abraham. A Brooklyn Supreme Court decision ruled in their favor, almost putting the kibbosh on last year’s performances.

The City Council introduced a bill just after the Supreme Court decision that excluded Asser-Levy/Seaside Park from the 500-feet rule, passing just in time for the concerts to go forward. The latest move may be a signal that plans for the amphitheater may never materialize.

Check out A Walk In The Park’s coverage for more background on the case.