By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
OCEANPORT – A woman using the name of a deceased female Army veteran rather than her own is speaking for an anonymous group of indeterminate size opposing Netflix, or any other film studio, coming to Fort Monmouth.
The group made headlines after the woman delivered remarks during the Sept. 21 monthly public meeting of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA), disparaging Netflix and other film production companies.
Netflix is one of four bidders for Fort Monmouth’s 292-acre Mega Parcel, long slated for a mixed-use/lifestyle center with development options including information and technology, clean energy, food and beverage, life sciences and film and digital media uses.
Submitted June 6, the bids are currently being scored by FMERA professional staff under the auspices of the state Attorney General’s office and Economic Development Authority. The other bids received were from Extell Acquisitions LLC; Mega Parcel Development LLC; and RDR Partners, LLC, comprised of Russo Development, LLC, Dinallo Development, LLC, and River Development Equities, LLC.
Following an established legal process governing the sale of all fort properties, evaluation of the bids is nearing its end stages, with the outcome anticipated within weeks. Years of opportunities for the public to comment on and ask questions about the Mega Parcel have passed. Future public input would occur when the selected purchaser brings its plans before the municipalities of Eatontown and Oceanport for any needed variances and approvals.
At the Sept. 21 meeting, held in person and via teleconference, the woman calling herself “Laura Lee from Long Branch” was the last speaker via cellphone during the public comment portion. She read a statement that echoed content on the group’s website, no2netflix.com.
Reached Monday by The Two River Times via email, the woman admitted Laura Lee is not her real name, but rather that of a member of the Women’s Army Corps (WACS) who worked at Fort Monmouth during World War II. Included in the email was a link to a citizen website about Fort Monmouth with similar wording to the no2netlix site. The official FMERA website is fortmonmouthnj.com.
“We tried to keep the group members anonymous,” she said, “for fear of retaliation at work since some of us are in positions where we can’t protest openly. This isn’t particularly organized. We are just people who live or work in the area.” She added the group has re-ceived backlash including “hate mail and threats.”
It is unknown if members have connections or conflicts of interest through jobs and affiliations with others involved in the fort’s redevelopment, or those who would like to be. The group’s members declined to appear on camera for an NBC News segment that aired Monday. The group’s primary demand, in addition to opposing a film studio, is “transparency.”
“Netflix is a very powerful company with powerful lawyers,” notes the group’s website, which displays its own version of the firm’s familiar red, white and black logo. Contacted last Friday, a Netflix spokesperson declined to comment on the group.
On the site, the group seems to have limited knowledge of the legal processes governing Fort Monmouth property sales, while selectively including material supporting its contentions. Some content presents opinions as facts, levels unsubstantiated allegations, and cites only negative articles regarding other film companies and tax incentive programs in other states under different circumstances, some more than 10 years old.
“We aren’t anti-Netflix,” the woman calling herself Laura Lee wrote. “We would feel the same way about any film studio coming to the area.”
The group asks bid details be made public, but under FMERA rules, bid contents are not revealed until the selection process is complete. That was largely instituted at the request of bidders who did not want their competitors to learn of their plans. In the past, leaked bid contents resulted in potential developers withdrawing their proposals. (The future of each fort parcel is detailed in FMERA’s Reuse Plan established a decade ago and amended over time to reflect changes in the market and economy. Bidders must adhere to those parameters.)
Calling any film production studio “an industrial site,” the group calls for open space and refers to the Mega Parcel as a vacant “central park.” In reality, the site spanning portions of Eatontown and Oceanport is a compilation of parcels containing a wide variety of structures including barracks, a research center, a theater, bowling alley, administration buildings and numerous accessory structures that must be demolished or adaptively reused.
The Parade Grounds inside the Oceanport Avenue entrance must remain open space but can be used for some activities. That space and the surrounding area are part of the fort’s Historic District, subject to development restrictions.
The group also disputes projections for jobs that will be created through the Mega Parcel’s redevelopment. When the former U.S. Army base closed in September 2011, some 15,000 military and civilian personnel left, an estimated 5,000 local jobs were lost, and some local businesses folded. An estimated number of temporary (such as construction) and permanent jobs to be created at every redeveloped Fort Monmouth property is set in each contract, with penalties of $1,500 to be imposed for each promised job not created.
Calling no2netflix’s debut “a bust,” Monmouth County Commissioner Lillian G. Burry, a voting FMERA member since its inception, said Tuesday that subsequent reaction “proves Netflix would be welcomed. They come with a reputation I don’t think has been disputed. Such development will provide more jobs on the fort and that is what we are all about. That’s no reflection on the other bidders. I’m just defending Netflix as they are the ones who came under attack by this group, and they weren’t there to defend themselves.”
With 120 pages of detailed bid specifications, the sale of the Mega Parcel is the most complex of all Fort Monmouth properties. Because the Army still retains a financial interest in a portion of the site, it is participating in the process, adding more layers of review.
The Mega Parcel comprises about 25 percent of the fort’s total 1,126 acres. Once approved by the FMERA board, the top bidder undertakes a “due diligence” period to examine the site with its own engineers and experts before finalizing the sale. Given subsequent local approval processes and ongoing delays from supply chain and construction impediments, FMERA officials estimate the start of construction could be two to four years away.
The article originally appeared in the September 29 – October 5, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
