More than a year has passed since Netflix introduced a plan to build a sprawling New Jersey production studio on a 289-acre site at a former Army base in Monmouth County.
While the entertainment giant received Gov. Phil Murphy’s support and recently obtained a key approval from a local board, there are still many more sign-offs required before construction can begin.
Here is the latest information about Netflix’s $903 million proposal to construct the film and television production studio at the shuttered Fort Monmouth military facility.
Where will the new Netflix studio be located?
Netflix won a bid in 2021 to acquire a 289-acre “mega-parcel” located on Fort Monmouth — a closed army base near the Jersey Shore. The entertainment company won the bidding with a $55 million offer.
This site where the studio complex is slated to be built is in the Monmouth County boroughs of Oceanport and Eatontown and is adjacent to Route 35.
The former base includes Fort Monmouth’s historic parade grounds, the World War II Memorial and Cowan Park. Any development on the land will preserve those sites, officials said.
Fort Monmouth, known for the development of FM radio and other military and communication advancements, was established in 1917 under the name Camp Little Silver.
When the facility closed in 2011, over 5,000 civilian and military jobs were relocated to an army base in Maryland.
What’s included in Netflix’s plans?
Last month, the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority board — the governing body overseeing the redevelopment of the site — approved a plan outlining how Netflix could use the site.
The company’s proposal includes 12 soundstages totaling nearly 500,000 square feet, along with production and office buildings, a cafeteria, retail shops and studio trailer parks, according to the board’s meeting minutes.
The facility is also slated to include a helipad, theater, hotel, visitors attractions and swimming tanks for film production involving water.
Netflix has committed a total of $903 million for the overall project, including the $55 million bid to acquire the parcel of land and $848 million in capital investments.
Who has approved the plan so far?
After finalizing its winning bid for the Fort Monmouth parcel, Netflix took a big step toward securing a home in New Jersey when New Jersey’s governor gave his stamp of approval in November.
Joined by state leaders and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, Murphy signed off on minutes from the county economic authority, which approved initial reuse plans for Fort Monmouth.
Most recently, the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority board voted unanimously on an amendment to the plan, which outlined how Netflix could use the former military site.
The process included a 45-day comment period that allowed local residents and Monmouth County officials to voice concerns and offer suggestions about the plan.
What’s next? When will it be built?
Netflix still has to complete a lengthy and complicated approval process before gets permission to begin construction.
First, Murphy must approve the site reuse vote by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority board last month. Then, Netflix must obtain site plan approvals from local planning boards in Oceanport and Eatontown, where the production studio will be located.
If the company gets those approvals, it can apply for state and county permits to start construction.
The project will be divided into two phases, according to minutes from the local economic authority board’s recent meeting. Both phases need to be finished within eight years from the deal’s closure, according to the meeting documents.
Does everyone support Netflix’s plan?
While the Murphy administration has expressed enthusiasm for the project, saying that Netflix could help turn New Jersey into the “Hollywood of the East,” not everyone is sold on the idea of a major production studio in suburban Monmouth County.
Before Netflix secured the approval from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority board last month, local residents and officials had the chance to comment on the company’s preliminary plans.
The minutes of the board’s minutes include 45 pages of public comments from resident and local officials about traffic and noise concerns, building height, environmental impacts, lighting, construction and other concerns.
Officials responded to each comment, but noted that many of the questions and worries expressed by the public fell outside the scope of the specific amendment to the plan they were voting on.
In a letter submitted by the Oceanport Planning Board, borough officials said residents were concerned that there was no analysis done on how the studio could affect the borough’s emergency and first responders.
Others questioned the potential negative economic and environmental impacts of the large studio complex, including the risk of harming protected wetlands on the site.
Some of the concerns will likely be addressed when the local planning boards consider Netflix’s plan.
Netflix’s proposal will also have to meet state Department of Environmental Protection guidelines, Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority officials said in meeting documents.
What is Netflix promising for New Jersey?
The proposed studio complex in New Jersey would be one of Netflix’s largest, similar to the company’s 300-acre facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Netflix officials previously told NJ Advance Media.
The company promised the project would generate up to 3,500 jobs during construction and about 1,400 people will be employed at the studio complex once it’s fully operational.
Over a 20-year-period, the estimated value to the New Jersey economy as a result of construction and production activity would range between $3.8 billion and $4.6 billion, a spokesperson for the company previously said.