BY ALBINA CEKA
Red tape is likely shutting out community organizations and volunteer groups from New York City Public Parks. To address mounting frustrations the New York City Council’s Committee on Parks and Recreation conducted an oversight meeting on September 30 to examine the event permitting process, created by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Committee Chair Ty Hankerson, representative of District 28, brought out NYC Parks representatives to discuss the requirements for events ranging from small community gatherings to large commercial productions.
NYC Park Representative David Cerrone, Deputy Commissioner for Activation, Environment, and Planning for NYC Parks explains that a special event permit is required for gatherings that have more than 20 participants. Applicants must pay a nonrefundable $25 application fee and must apply at least 21 days before an event. But when it comes to events with
more than 500 participants, or are commercial in nature, are considered more complex and must be handled by the department’s Citywide Special Events Office, each that have their own guidelines that vary by borough and park classification, that could require additional coordination or permits from other city agencies.
“We are committed to helping New Yorkers plan fun and creative special events in parks, because we know a park with robust activity is safer and more enjoyable for everyone, but we must still uphold our primary responsibility as the caretaker and steward of city parkland,” said Cerrone.
The city council questioned the approval timing for events and how that makes it more difficult for community based organizations to make a plan around their local parks without knowing whether or not the permit is going to be approved until a few days before the event. “It’s not until a few days before that we hear, hey, you can’t have your event, it’s been denied, does the Parks Department not see that as problematic?” said Hankerson. Cerrone responded that outright denials are “exceedingly rare,” accounting for less than 1% of permits processed.
Councilmember Frank Morano, representing the 51st District, asked “How many park days do New Yorkers lose every year to special events?.” Referring to how many days might an average park goer not be able to visit their local park due to the event’s required setup, the event itself, cleanup, and restoration. Cerrone explains that while NYC Parks does track event start and end times they do not track the entire closure period but stresses that they are “ready and willing to work” with the committee and any concerned New Yorkers because they want to have a system that works for everyone.
Community organizations, however, expressed continued concerns about navigating the permitting system. Heather Lubov, the Executive Director of City Parks Foundation, an
independent nonprofit organization that offers free community events across parks in the five boroughs, acknowledged that NYC Parks has made improvements, including clearer policies, fee waivers, and better online guidance. Even so, she maintains that “the system and the rules itself is what remains too rigid.” Lubov talks of the struggles of the Summer Stage, a concert program they host in Rumsey PlayField in Central Park, in trying to get park permits. Lubov asserted that delayed permit approvals have caused the program to lose major artists. She urged parks officials and the council to end rules, such as those in their experience in Central Park, that force groups to hoard unused dates in order to maintain tenure.
“If it’s hard for us, I can’t imagine what it’s like for a volunteer group trying to plan a small event,” said Lubov.