By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
FORT MONMOUTH – The 12-soundstage production studio planned by Netflix for almost 300 acres of Fort Monmouth will run roughly down the center of the fort from Oceanport Avenue to Route 35. Within the site are roads owned by Monmouth County and the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA). During the authority’s March 20 meeting, members voted unanimously to change ownership of some roads to accommodate the project.
During negotiations with FMERA in advance of entering into a Purchase and Sale and Redevelopment agreement (PSARA), “Netflix indicated it would seek a vacation of the portion of Wilson Avenue north of the Avenue of Memories from Monmouth County,” the authority’s professional staff wrote in a memo recommending passage of the “Road Vacation and Conveyance Agreement.” Wilson Avenue runs perpendicular to Route 537 by the former bowling center. Route 537, a county road, is also known as Avenue of Memories and Saltzman Avenue through the fort.
The authority also agreed to convey Malterer Avenue, which runs from Russel Avenue to Route 537 between the Park Loft event venue and Triumphant Life Church, to the county as an alternative route for traffic impacted by the vacation of Wilson Avenue.
The county will oversee roadway improvements at the intersection of Malterer and Sherrill avenues; after closing, Netflix will construct a cul-desac at the junction of Wilson and Sherrill avenues.
Before that happens, FMERA will grant the county the right to use and make preliminary road improvements to Malterer Avenue, and to “use and operate Malterer Avenue as a county roadway,” the agreement said.
The county board of commissioners has already conducted one required public hearing on the matter and scheduled a second for March 28.
A small portion of Wilson Avenue is still owned by the U.S. Army. A separate agreement between FMERA and the Army will see that section conveyed at a later time.
“FMERA voted on this agreement during the March board meeting knowing that it is subject to a 10-day governor’s veto period,” said Sarah Giberson, FMERA director of real estate and marketing. “Therefore, the document would not be executed until after March 28 and would converge perfectly with any approvals/documentation that the county would need to comply with their procedural rules.”
Netflix entered into the PSARA for the “Mega Parcel” spanning portions of Eatontown and Oceanport in January 2023, initiating a lengthy process that could see the streaming giant closing on the property in 2027. Estimates are it would then take seven to 10 years to construct the complex.
The entertainment firm passed a major milestone in February when FMERA’s voting members, including the mayors of Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls, unanimously accepted Netflix’s detailed plans for the property, which can be viewed at fortmonmouthnj.com under the Public Information – Agendas tab (Feb. 21, 2024).
Next for Netflix is approval of FMERA’s Mandatory Conceptual Review (MCR), similar to a site plan review, followed by completion of site plan reviews with Eatontown, Oceanport and the county, along with other required approvals. While the fort also spans portions of Tinton Falls, the Netflix parcel will only be located on land in Eatontown and Oceanport.
Staff noted Netflix is “moving forward ahead of schedule,” but the approval period is expected to take 36 months and “substantial administrative work needs to be completed before the public can expect to see any visible changes to the site.”
The article originally appeared in the March 28 – April 3, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
