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Parks & Public Spaces
Application from 34th Street Partnership, in association with XL Event Lab, for “Pop In The City”, an inflatable bounce house in Greeley Square Park for a four-week session starting August 5th, and a second session in October
WHEREAS, 34th Street Partnership, in association with XL Event Lab (the "Applicant"), is proposing to install an inflatable bounce house in Greeley Square Park for four weeks starting on August 5 with a second four week run in October with hours based on demand; and
WHEREAS, 34th Street Partnership has a continued goal of trying to make the neighborhood safer and full of people after recent violent attacks and the sale of drugs in Greeley Square; and
WHEREAS, The XL Event Lab, specializing in family friendly experiences, has established a nationwide tour (“The Big Bounce America”) of large, inflatable bounce houses; and
WHEREAS, The inflatable bounce house will take approximately 25 minutes to get through with features like a ball pit and interior walls with nods to New York City; and
WHEREAS, The event was originally proposed for a single twelve-week run but has been reduced to eight weeks after input from Community Board Five and other community stakeholders; and
WHEREAS, The bounce house originally had bolder and more pronounced graphics, and in response to community concerns, scaled back the design of the structure; and
WHEREAS, Ticket holders will enter the bounce house on 32nd Street and Broadway and exit the bounce house on 33rd Street and Broadway; and
WHEREAS, The bounce house will not be open past 11PM; and
WHEREAS, The bounce house will be half deflated every night and re-inflated every morning before opening; and
WHEREAS, The bounce house will feature dedicated sensory sessions with limited outdoor sound for attendees with specific requirements; and
WHEREAS, There will be sound provided by a DJ inside the bounce house to provide music to the guests as well as some sound outside the bounce house specifically focused for the sensory sessions, which will be similar to white noise; and
WHEREAS, The inflatable bounce house will be a ticketed event, and although the price point of the experience is not set as of yet, it will be approximately $20, with discount codes made available for nearby stakeholders such as local residents; and
WHEREAS, There will be a non-ticketed area on the outside of the bounce house that visitors can interact with; and
WHEREAS, The bounce house will be monitored by 24 hour security as well as staff that will guide guests throughout the experience; and
WHEREAS, 34th Street Partnership will relocate every chair and umbrella to other parts of the park and Herald Square, resulting in no net loss of seating for park goers; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant agreed to partner with local schools to allow schoolchildren to participate in the event at a free or discounted rate; and
WHEREAS, Although members of the public and Community Board Five expressed concerns over the significant length of a commercial event in a public space, as well as the price point and specific hours of operation not being finalized at the time of the presentation, Community Board Five supports the initiative of the 34th Street Partnership’s goals of bringing large numbers of people to the area, and furthermore recognizes the considerable revisions to the proposed event in response to community concerns; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the application from 34th Street Partnership, in association with XL Event Lab, for “Pop In The City”, an inflatable bounce house in Greeley Square Park for a four-week session starting August 5th, and a second session in October.