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Parks & Public Spaces
Applications from C3 Events Group for the Big Apple Barbecue, to be held on Madison Avenue between 23rd and 26th Streets, 26th Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue, and inside Madison Square Park on Saturday, June 7th and Sunday, June 8th, 2014
WHEREAS, C3 (Applicant) seeks Parks and SAPO permits to hold the 13th annual Big Apple Barbeque in and around Madison Square Park, resulting in the closure of Madison Avenue between 23rd and 26th Streets; 23rd, 24th, and 25th Streets between Park and Madison Avenues; and 26th Street between Park and 5th Avenues on Saturday, June 13th and Sunday, June 14th, 2015; and
WHEREAS, The event will be held on Saturday and Sunday between the hours of 11am and 6pm, with set-up beginning on Thursday, June 11th and clean-up following the event to begin on Sunday, June 14th; and
WHEREAS, Applicant has complied with the Community Board Five Policy on Large Events in and around Madison Square Park; having submitted a written Statement of Compliance acknowledging their understanding and acceptance of said policy; and
WHEREAS, Applicant will make a donation of 10% of the total proceeds of this event to the Madison Square Park Conservancy to be directed toward maintenance and upkeep in the Park; and
WHEREAS, The Madison Square Park Conservancy (MSPC) now owns the licensing for the event and receives a significant percentage of the annual budgetary needs of Madison Square Park; and
WHEREAS, Applicant recognizes the event's impact on members of the public who live around Madison Square Park as well as businesses around the Park and, in coordination with Community Board Five and MSPC, has altered the layout by relocating the more popular pit masters to areas with fewer residents in the immediate vicinity, thereby reducing smoke and queueing complaints; and
WHEREAS, Applicant has agreed to monitor and address the after-hours noise issues as created by pit masters preparing food for the barbecue, including the express prohibition of any music being played during set-up; and
WHEREAS, Applicant has assured Community Board Five that the sidewalk along 25th street will be clear from vendors and diners, thereby allowing for neighborhood residents to walk freely to their buildings; and
WHEREAS, Applicant has provided a detailed plan and layout of the event including sanitation, security, and post-event clean-up, with several improvements from prior events, including an increase in the amount of space for the public, additional seating areas and picnic tables provided for the public, and a decrease in amplified sound by a reduction in the number of live bands performing from years prior; and
WHEREAS, MSPC has mentioned that they typically do not receive more than $200,000 in net revenue from this event, and they are beginning to seriously contemplate moving the Big Apple Barbeque to another location; and
WHEREAS, Applicant has been unable to assure Community Board Five that Worth Square will not be used for a sponsorship event containing excessive branding, food or barbequing or amplified sound, and such an event would prohibit Community Board Five from approving the Applicant's event given the large foot print the Big Apple Barbeque already has in the neighborhood; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends denial of the Applications from C3 for the Big Apple Barbecue, to be held on Madison Avenue between 23rd and 26th Streets, 26th Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue, and inside Madison Square Park on Saturday, June 7th and Sunday, June 8th, 2015 unless the board can be assured that Worth Square will not be used as a sponsorship event location containing more barbeque pits or food any type, or excessive branding, commercialization or amplified sound; and be it further
RESOLVED, The opening of the Edition hotel on Madison Avenue and 24th Street, expected to take place in the late Spring or Summer of 2015, in addition to a significant number of residential units coming online in the near future in the immediate area, lead CB5 to question again the appropriateness of these large events and their detrimental impact on the Flatiron neighborhood, including the impact on Madison Square Park on six weekend days in seasonal months of high park usage; and we implore CECM and the Mayor's Office to reconsider their location.