Places Everyone: Ground has finally been broken on the new Netflix Studios at Fort Monmouth.
In a celebratory event that featured a call sheet of state, regional and local leadership, the long-awaited start of Netflix’s East Coast production hub started with shovels in the ground and the teardown of an old fort building.
What’s expected to be raised in the coming years are thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic output.
Said Gov. Phil Murphy: “With Netflix and New Jersey working hand in hand, this much is clear: The sky is the limit.”
“Today the film and television industry in New Jersey is stronger than ever,” said Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who ironically was born at the nearby Monmouth Medical Center. “Today, we’re taking another step forward.”
Netflix is planning to invest $1 billion to transform the 292-acre former U.S. Army installation into a premier East Coast production hub.
The development is set to feature 12 cutting-edge soundstages totaling nearly 500,000 square feet, with additional areas dedicated to supporting film uses and community amenities.
Sarandos said Netflix has generated $125 billion to the U.S. economy over the past four years and hired more than 140,000 cast and crew members.
“And we’re excited to continue our investment in the U.S. and New Jersey in the coming years,” he said.
Fort Monmouth ceased being an Army base on Sept. 15, 2011.
For many years, it sat unused. There was uncertainty over what would happen with the vast property, which is plotted on the towns of Eatontown and Oceanport in Monmouth County.
But in 2022, the Murphy administration – with full backing from NJBIA and New Jersey’s business community – announced its plan to transform the property with Netflix.
Last December, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved the project for Aspire tax incentives not to exceed $387 million.
“This is a transformative project for the state of New Jersey,” said NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka. “When you’re talking about 1,500 full-time production jobs and more than 3,000 construction jobs, it’s a great boost for the economic viability of the entire state and it will also galvanize small businesses in the area and around the region.”
Murphy said the state has worked with Eatontown and Oceanport, as well as Monmouth County, to secure approvals for the initial phase of Netflix studios.
Full demolition is expected to take around 13 months, and the studio is projected to open in 2028. Further approvals, however, will be required before Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth can fully undertake construction.
It’s a safe bet that there will be strong support for the expediting of needed permits.
Both Sens. Vin Gopal (D-11) and Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) have unique, childhood connections to the property and both spoke enthusiastically, if not emotionally, about Fort Monmouth having a successful transition.
“Like so many people who grew up here, this place, this property, the fort itself, played such a role in our lives,” O’Scanlon said. “It was a mystery before we got behind the gates. Once we did, we found it to be a wonderful, wonderful place.
“As a kid, I lay in bed every single night when at 21:00, ‘Taps’ would play here, and I could hear it.’
“My mom worked on this fort,” Gopal added. “I have memories of coming here as a child, and I remember the day that it closed. We hoped that it would get saved.
“But in some of our early conversations with Netflix, there’s a reason that they picked New Jersey. And it wasn’t just the tax credits. It’s everything about our beautiful Monmouth County from Colts Neck to Asbury Park to the Jersey Shore, urban, suburban, rural, our incredible schools.
“I want to thank Governor Murphy. When he is done in six months, I think they’re going to start looking at his legacy, and this will be one of the biggest pieces of his legacy.”
