Blue Bloods, which has often filmed in LIC, does a shoot in Sunnyside
June 20, 2014 By Christian Murray
Hunters Point residents have complained for years about the excessive number of production companies filming in neighborhood—taking valuable parking spaces, creating noise and shining bright lights through people’s windows.
Residents will no longer have to contend with these issues for the next six months. The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment has implemented a 6-month ban on filming (starting June 4) from 46th Avenue to 49th Ave., between Center Blvd and Vernon Blvd. The ban, first reported by the Daily News, essentially stops all filming on Vernon Blvd during that six month period.
The moratorium follows a letter sent by Community Board 2 in March complaining about the frequency of filming within a few select blocks in Hunters Point. The hotspots were deemed to be Vernon Boulevard, Borden Avenue and 48th Avenue.
Production companies have found Hunters Point to be an ideal place for filming—with its East River views and proximately to Manhattan.
Joe Conley, Chairman of Community Board 2, said that the city issued 15 film permits in the area during the first four months of the year. He said that Hunters Point had become the backdrop for shows such as The Good Wife, The Blacklist, The Black Box and Person of Interest.
“About two years ago, we had five different film shoots happening on one day,” Conley recalled.
Conley, who has worked with Van Bramer on the issue, said that nobody is trying to shut the film industry down. However, he said, the city should not grant production permits automatically. It should take into consideration the number of permits that have already been issued in the neighborhood.
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25 Comments
this is the second week in a row they’ve been filming in LIC. shortest 6 month’s EVER.
@ line Your wish has been granted. Filming for a TV show will be in Sunnyside this week just yards from JVB’s home.
The members or CB2 are so incredibly shortsighted and selfish. They are NIMBYs to the 1000th degree.
Enjoy it while you still can. Your only saving grace is that the first wave of developments were largely rentals.
As the next wave brings more condos to the neighborhood? Yea… See ya later current CB2 members.
Why must it be all or nothing? These seem to be the only options cb2 knows. Part of being in a community is compromise.
Can’t wait to see those backyard dining guidelines we were promised at the last community mtg . anyone?
And lastly I agree w good and evil. I would like to see the permit for the little red neon men, I can see them from my living room and they are a blemish on my otherwise amazing views. Oh wait, aren’t those residents on the board? Now I get it.
… There’s that word again: Moratorium. I have a new word to put forth: Progress.
I asked Mr. Van Bramer if LIC is getting a fee from filming to generate revenues for our neighborhood. He said no but thought is was a good idea. If LIC were to generate fees from filming, it would lessen the amount of filming, raise funds, and ultimately, reduce the advantage taken by residents. Just sayin…
Reasonable limits on the frequency makes sense. Not sure what a moratorium will do. Other side of Vernon towards Court Square seems to get even more filming. I’d like to hear from a local business person to see if it helps their business or not.
I agree with Doreen! They are parked right outside
my door @ court square by the court house.
And let me tell you they are LOUD! Generators, bright
Lights, helicopters, loud yelling all at the
Wee hours in the morning! And they do have
Their own food/catering trucks! No small business
Owner is affected! Quality of life is!
Once in a while I understand, but it’s way
too frequent!
Or they could allow backyard dining, enabling LIC to become such a raucous hellscape that no one wants to film here.
Does CB2 see every issue as all or nothing?
Could they just increase the permit cost?
Istitute daily/weekly permit limits?
Seems there are plenty of good options here. A 6-month ban just kicks can down road.
Idiots.
Open the eyes people….
So we send it to Sunnyside hmm mm home of JVB.
Thanks to who ever made this decision with these shoots every week here our quality of life here sucked. They were taking 11 st for 2 or 3 days and the other 2 or 3 days they would take 21 st enough is enough go somewhere else the business’s here are doing fine without them
Really the businesses do not profit last time there was a shoot here, all the delis were busy and people come to watch a shoot of a TV show or movie, people need to get the facts straight.
What is wrong is that they inconvenience an entire neighborhood repeatedly without any consideration for the people that live here or the businesses that they hurt. Not to mention the residents.
The neighborhood business do not profit from these shoots, nor do they want them here. They interfere with regular business and provide no benefit to LIC.
The only ones that benefit are the one time payment very few businesses get for allowing them to shoot there. Everyone else looses business and the inconveniene to residents is unfair.
Go away!
I support this ban. What business or jobs are we losing? These film crews come in, bring their own people/food/catering, take up our parking spaces, act like they own our streets, then they leave. A few weeks ago we had 1/2 of 48th Ave shut down bc of film crews and Vernon blocked off the same day for the street fair.. There has to be a better system for handing out those permits.
How short sighted is this?! Let’s give the business to other areas for 6 months and then expect it to come back when we want it, how we want it, when it’s convenient for me… If I ran my business like this, I would be out of business is less than 6 months. What is wrong with these people?
Can we talk about neon lights without a permit on a structure in lic?
I agree loved seeing the neighborhood and then trying to find the house or business in the hood. Like the all in the family house on cooper ave.
The point I will make is the staff doesn’t get catering so they go to the local restaurants and delis for food that is a big loss especially since some places did catering for certain shows.
Have been a LIC resident for 5yrs. Always enjoyed seeing my neighborhood on TV. This seems to be driven by the narrow minded small town like mindset that I had hoped to have left behind when I moved here. Ridiculous. Embarrassing.
Holy hell what idiots are making decisions on CB2???
Yes, let’s not get publicity, jobs and money for our businesses for 6 months. Brilliant!
I fully support this ban. 6 months won’t hurt the community, but it gives us a bit of breathing room.
Those huge trailers everywhere were too much. And my car has been moved many times and parked in illegal places because of the shoots.
no backyard for businesses , no filming, which make the area known and attracked tourist and tv shows fan alike ….
yep cb2 has no problem with the construction site, pollution dust , trucks , loud construction noise starting as early as 6 am and on week end
So bringing money and jobs to the neighborhood is bad?