Closing projected for 2027
By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
FORT MONMOUTH – Shortly after 5 p.m. Feb. 21, members of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) unanimously voted to approve revised plans for Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth, a major production studio on 292-plus acres of the former U.S. Army base.
None of the three audience members in attendance spoke during FMERA’s regular monthly meeting.
Public concerns, along with those of local officials, engineers and planners, are contained in the 242-page board agenda package unveiled at the meeting. Within its pages are updated maps, charts and descriptions detailing specifically what the studio’s buildings, signs and more will look like now that modifications have been made in response to expressed concerns.
Known as “Amendment 20” to the fort’s master reuse plan and prepared by FMERA staff with planning consultants Phillips Preiss Grygiel Leheny Hughes, LLC of Hoboken, the plan permits the principal uses of motion picture, television and broadcast studios, a hotel and retail sales and service with the potential for “public facing retail establishments, consumer-facing studio experiences, and hotels fronting on Route 35 and Oceanport Avenue.”
Under the plan, most of the many buildings throughout the property are slated for demolition, while some buildings could be adaptively reused.
While Fort Monmouth spans portions of Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls, the Mega Parcel – FMERA’s name for the nearly 300 acres that had previously been offered to developers in smaller sections – only covers properties in Eatontown and Oceanport, so Tinton Falls did not submit comments. As per procedure, the feedback was reviewed by FMERA staff and the planners. Their responses are included in the 242-page document.
Modifications to the plans include:
- A reduction in the maximum height of hotels from 84 feet to the lesser of 72 feet or six stories.
- An increase in the no-build setback along Oceanport’s Riverside Avenue and the North Jersey Coastline Railroad from 25-feet to 150-feet. Residents of the historic waterfront neighborhood across Oceanport Avenue from Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth were particularly vocal about building heights and setbacks.
- The maximum permitted height of buildings and structures in Development Zone 6, also known as Oceanport’s 400 area, has been reduced from 85 feet to 72 feet. The maximum permitted height in other areas will remain at 85 feet to accommodate backlots.
- Landscaping designs will add buffers, may include concealing fences “constructed of a long-lasting and attractive material,” and can include “varied, native species of evergreen trees approximately 10-12 feet with a projected mature height of 18 feet or higher.”
- Regulations have been clarified regarding wall, monument, roof and window signs to specify the location, uses and distances from streets and buildings.***
In separate amendments to Netflix’s Purchase, Sale and Redevelopment Agreement, FMERA approved the firm’s request construction be done in three phases and clarified the configuration of soundstages to be in alignment with industry standards.
Contacted Feb. 22, Netflix did not have an official statement about the approval of Amendment 20. A source close to the company told The Two River Times that top brass are “extremely pleased” and see the vote as another step in moving Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth forward. Netflix plans to continue community engagement, although no firm plans were in place at press time, the source said. Last year, Netflix sponsored a picnic for veterans living in the Soldier On community on Essex Road in Tinton Falls.
Netflix will pay $47 million for the Mega Parcel and has agreed to pay a utility contribution of $5 million, along with the FMERA office relocation fee of $3 million. The total due at closing will be $55 million. Netflix’s total capital investment is estimated at $848 million.
Affordable Housing Relocated
Fort Monmouth’s master reuse plan, created over a decade ago, divided the 1,126 acres into parcels. Each was assigned different potential uses that evolved over time to accommodate changing market conditions. Some parcels included affordable housing components to comply with the New Jersey Fair Housing Act. To spark sales, FMERA combined several parcels into the Mega Parcel, meaning affordable housing assigned there had to be relocated.
Three sites, one in Eatontown and two in Oceanport along Route 35 and Oceanport Way, are designated for affordable housing, including the Monmouth County Emergency Homeless Shelter. As seen on page 140 of the agenda document, Zones 11 and 12 in Oceanport are slated for 25 and 24 units, respectively, with Zone 11 identified for supportive or single-room occupancy units. Zone 10, 32 acres along Oceanport Way in Eatontown, would see construction of 62 affordable units.
“These units could be counted towards the affordable housing obligations of the host municipalities, consistent with the goal and uses contemplated in the reuse plan,” staff noted.
“This is the largest real estate transaction in the history of New Jersey,” said Eatontown Mayor Anthony Talerico, a voting FMERA member. “A lot of people will take credit, but credit goes to the FMERA team.”
The authority’s chairwoman, McKenzie Wilson, added, “This really was a monumental undertaking.”
Netflix’s intention to purchase Fort Monmouth’s Mega Parcel was first reported by The Two River Times in July 2021. Since then, FMERA staff, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the state Attorney General’s Office and other agencies have negotiated with Netflix to maximize the economic and job-related benefits of the proposed studios while protecting the neighborhoods surrounding it. The firm’s initial plans for the property were first revealed in October.
“We have a process that works,” said Oceanport Mayor Tom Tvrdik. “Residents expressed concerns… and we answered them. More opportunities (for public input) are coming with the local planning board.”
Next Steps
“Netflix now moves into their approvals period and the contractual timelines continue rolling forward,” said Sarah Giberson, FMERA director of Real Estate Development. The first major approval will be FMERA’s Mandatory Conceptual Review (MCR), similar to a site plan review, she said. Afterward, Netflix must complete a site plan review with Eatontown, Oceanport and the county, along with other required approvals.
The municipalities will be able to request and review information related to traffic, circulation, noise, emergency services and more.
“While Netflix continues to express an interest in expediting their project, contractually closing will not occur until 2027,” Giberson said. It will take an estimated seven to 10 years to build the studio campus after closing.
The full FMERA/Netflix agenda packet can be viewed at fortmonmouthnj.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Board-Meeting-2.21.24.pdf
The full story will be in the February 29 – March 6, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
