By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
FORT MONMOUTH – This fall, Netflix representatives will present the firm’s next round of plans for Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth to Eatontown and Oceanport officials in pursuit of approvals to construct a 12-soundstage production complex on 292 acres of the former U.S. Army base.
First Look: Eight Soundstages in Eatontown
On Tuesday, Sept. 2, New Jersey-based planners and engineers retained by Netflix will appear before the Eatontown Planning Board in a public meeting to debut Phase 1B of Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth.
In this phase, eight soundstages will be built within Eatontown’s borders between Route 35 and Wilson Avenue along Route 537 (Avenue of Memories through the fort). While the 1,126-acre fort spans parts of Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls, the planned Netflix campus will be in Eatontown and Oceanport only.
“The public is welcome to attend to listen to the application, ask questions and make comments,” said Eatontown Mayor Anthony Talerico Jr. “I anticipate the meeting will be finished in one session. If it is not, we will continue it at a future meeting, which will be announced that night, as is the case with all planning board applications.”
During the municipal presentations, Netflix’s experts display architectural plans and renderings depicting locations of buildings and specifics of design elements. Last November, the Oceanport Planning/Zoning Board’s vote to approve Phase 1A followed five hours of testimony over two meetings.
Phase 1A – the first four soundstages, a backlot, two mill buildings and support structures on 39 acres primarily in Oceanport – was introduced to the two municipalities late last year. It took some 10 months to navigate the approval process successfully in both towns.
Oceanport’s Phase 1A approval granted one variance for the size and location of identifying building signs. Waivers were given for raising streetlights from 18 to 25 feet and adding an outdoor 36-bicycle parking area. Eatontown officials requested features like lighting and landscaping be consistent throughout the complex for a “seamless” look between the towns.
Members of both governing bodies had concerns and suggestions regarding the aesthetics of the eight- to 10-foot perimeter security wall. Netflix has been tweaking new concepts and is expected to present alternatives Sept. 2. A small part of the Phase 1A site, the now-demolished bowling center, is located in Eatontown.
“Unlike Netflix’s smaller first Eatontown application, which was merely a storm basin and fencing bordering the Oceanport development, Phase 1B is what you think of when you think of a film studio campus,” Talerico said.
Netflix hopes to close on the property with the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) by year’s end at the agreed-upon price of $55 million and is expected to ultimately invest about $900 million. Over 3,520 full-time construction jobs will be created in Phase 1.
Oceanport’s 400 Area
In October, at a date to be determined, the Oceanport Planning/Zoning Board will view Netflix’s plans for what is known as the “400 Area” bordered by the New Jersey Transit Railroad tracks, Oceanport Avenue and Parkers Creek near the Little Silver train station. The 80-acre tract was originally envisioned by FMERA as a transit-oriented mixed-use development with 230 residences before Netflix entered the picture in 2021. The property contains more than 60 buildings, including barracks, warehouses and administrative space adjacent to a residential area.
Development of the 400 Area is part of Phase 2A of construction. That timeline has not been scheduled, but total buildout is projected for about three years after closing. Phase 2A also includes Vail Hall and six former barracks buildings along Route 537. Work to turn Vail Hall into Netflix office space has already begun, along with fort-wide demolition by Netflix, under special agreement with FMERA. The barracks, planned as an artists’ community before the site was absorbed by Netflix, will be renovated for an as-yet-unspecified reuse.
On Monday, Oceanport Mayor Tom Tvrdik told The Two River Times about 50 of the 80 acres are buildable.
“It will primarily be used for backlots from what we’ve been told (by Netflix representatives),” Tvrdik said. “Most buildings will be demolished except for some of the nice brick buildings they might reuse.”
“Once I have the plans and they are made public, I will reach out to neighbors on Riverside Avenue and Gooseneck Point Road so they can prepare questions,” Tvrdik said, adding Netflix “made concessions” regarding larger setbacks, and berms and buffering along roads, “especially on Riverside Drive.”
Phase 2B
In Phase 2B, historic Greely Field with its World War II memorial and Cowan Park, both in Oceanport, will be preserved as deed-restricted, publicly accessible open space. Netflix, FMERA, and Monmouth County are discussing specifics of monument and plaque preservation and maintenance, as well as connectivity to the fort’s planned public walking trail. A presentation schedule for Phase 2B has not been announced by Netflix. A spokesperson declined to comment.
“To close in December, Netflix must have all approvals,” Tvrdik emphasized.
Overseen by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, FMERA has been guiding the fort’s redevelopment for over a decade. The agency, which includes the mayors of all three towns, the county commissioner director, and representatives of various state agencies as voting members, unanimously approved Netflix’s proposal for Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth in February 2024.
The article originally appeared in the August 28 – September 3, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
