By Sunayana Prabhu
Two River area municipalities are getting their act together before the giant film and television production studio Netflix Inc. moves into the former Fort Monmouth U.S. Army post.
Fort Monmouth occupies approximately 1,126 acres of land and is contained within three municipalities, the boroughs of Tinton Falls, Eatontown and Oceanport, adjacent to the boroughs of Shrewsbury and Little Silver.
Last year, the global streaming service entered into an agreement to purchase nearly 300 acres of the largely blighted Fort Monmouth, a section known as the Mega Parcel, for $55 million from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA). The studio plans to fill the void in the region left by Fort Monmouth’s closure by investing nearly $1 billion in building 12 sound stages and a facility that could include a helipad, a childcare facility, banks, a fitness center, a hotel and more.
The Mega Parcel sits in the “host municipalities” of Eatontown and Oceanport, but Little Silver and Shrewsbury have also started laying the groundwork to embrace exponential growth once Netflix breaks ground.
“Eatontown is seeing strong interest in our downtown by both current owners and outsiders who want to stake a claim near Netflix,” Eatontown Mayor Anthony Talerico told The Two River Times in an email response discussing the changing landscape.
FMERA, the agency charged with overseeing the fort’s redevelopment, mentions on its website that “10,000 jobs and $2 billion of total redevelopment investment,” is expected to bring significant economic impetus and tax revenue for the host municipalities and Monmouth County.
Officials still don’t have clarity on the exact timeline. According to a May 2024 report in The Two River Times, “Netflix is not expected to close on the property until 2027, as the company must still seek and obtain numerous municipal, county, and state approvals. Officials said Netflix plans to open the facility in 2028, with the full build-out estimated to take seven to 10 years.”
Nevertheless, municipalities around the future studio have started planning how to make the most of Netflix’s arrival.
“We have declared the area as an area in need of redevelopment which will give us flexibility with ideas,” Talerico said of Eatontown’s areas within and surrounding the Mega Parcel. Talerico said he is awaiting site plans that are expected to be before the planning board this year to address traffic patterns and volume. “Eatontown has developed a strong relationship with key Netflix representatives which will help as we navigate this massive project,” he said.
Shrewsbury and Little Silver are also buckling up for the opportunities Netflix will present and the potential challenges it will bring.
“We are very excited to welcome Netflix,” Shrewsbury Mayor Kim Eulner said on a phone call with The Two River Times last week after a meeting she initiated with Kara Kopach, executive director of FMERA. Eulner has already started exploring how Shrewsbury could benefit socially and economically before Netflix opens for business next door.
Eulner said the meeting with Kopach was for “educational purposes.” She has proactively reached out to Netflix and is coordinating with neighboring mayors to better understand the scope of the project.
“Being a neighboring municipality, we wanted to learn timelines, talk about any issues that we think our residents would be concerned about,” such as traffic and noise, Eulner added, noting that borough officials were “very satisfied” with the response from FMERA officials.
“I think it’ll just make all of our communities have more things to do (and) overall be of greater benefit.”
In the meeting, Eulner said Kopach reassured her that the planned sound stages will absorb sound and contain any noise. While increased traffic is a concern, Eulner hopes Netflix may spur infrastructure upgrades since Route 35 is a state highway running through Shrewsbury. The New Jersey Department of Transportation “with time” may implement changes, she said. “That might benefit all of us in the long run.”
Eulner also hosted a meeting with a “Two River Mayors” group last week which included leaders from Oceanport and Eatontown to maintain open lines of communication. “We’re going to keep the conversation going with all of the local mayors about Netflix and any other issues that are going to concern or maybe affect all of us,” she said.
The mayors plan to regularly discuss coordination efforts.
On the economic front, Eulner sees opportunities for new businesses and attractions around the film production studio. Netflix plans “interactive stores” at Fort Monmouth promoting its shows, which Eulner hopes could eventually expand to Shrewsbury. The interactive stores could include embedding movie characters in the neighborhood to create a buzz before a film’s release. Nearby restaurants and shops may also get a boost.
Shrewsbury is also updating its master plan by 2025 to accommodate growth. Eulner wants to preserve the town’s unique historical identity against the backdrop of the potential pop culture mecca that Netflix could become on the Jersey Shore. “We have stringent rules or ordinances regarding our historical areas,” Eulner said. “I feel confident that we will keep, our historical areas in town intact and as beautiful as they are.”
Currently, Shrewsbury has no ordinance about renting homes for filming, but Eulner is researching guidelines to potentially create one.
“The one constant is change,” said Little Silver Mayor Robert Neff. The borough is making subtle changes to adapt and embrace opportunities while addressing the concerns of residents, he said. Although Netflix is still a couple of years away from opening its studio in the area, new residential developments near the fort are arriving more quickly. A committee set up by FMERA monitors these developments in neighboring towns. Neff said he would be attending that upcoming meeting June 15.
The Little Silver Borough Council is “constantly looking for ways to accommodate” the growth from the Fort Monmouth developments, said Neff. For instance, when approving the recent groundbreaking of the borough’s first licensed bar near the Little Silver NJ Transit train station, the council insisted on completing a sidewalk that would eventually lead to the fort area to help connect people.
“In fact, this bar restaurant application, when it came up, we asked that they have a sidewalk. So, completing the sidewalk from the train station over to the Oceanport Bridge and into the old Fort Monmouth property is something we’d like to see happen.”
With regional coordination helmed by the Monmouth County Commissioners, the towns are positioning themselves for success with Netflix’s arrival.
“We’ll be prepared as we can be,” said Neff.
The article originally appeared in the June 13 – June 19, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
