MSG tussles with community board over signage

Madison Square Garden has been pulled into yet another battle with community groups, this time over the size of its signage overlooking the post office on Eighth Avenue.

The local Community Board 5 has written a letter to the city’s Department of Buildings saying that the signage violates zoning rules that allow for a maximum size of 500 square feet.

The arena has a sign that stretches more than 1,500 square feet and two more that span 700 square feet, the letter, reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, states.

“It’s reflecting light onto this national treasure,” Wally Rubin, district manager for Community Board 5, told the newspaper.

“MSG’s signage is consistent with the surrounding area, as well as other sports and entertainment complexes both in New York and across the country,” Kimberly Kerns, a spokeswoman for the arena, told the Journal.

MSG has been battling with the city over an extension of its permit. City officials recently ruled that the arena could stay on in its current location for ten years, a decision that was taken to be a victory for its critics. [WSJ] – Hiten Samtani