By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
OCEANPORT – The mystery of Netflix’s plans for 79.3 acres of Fort Monmouth known as the “400 Area” was solved when the company’s representatives gained approval from the Oceanport Borough Planning Board last week.
At the Nov. 12 meeting, Kenneth Falcon, Netflix’s director of global design and construction and senior project manager for the upcoming Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth, detailed the Phase 2 development of four grass or gravel-covered backlots, along with an outdoor basecamp to support productions.
Forty-seven deteriorating buildings left behind when the U.S. Army closed the fort in 2011, mostly cream-colored barracks, will be demolished “immediately,” Falcon said. Five salvageable structures near Riverside Avenue, some with loading docks and open bays, will be renovated for future production-related uses.
“Some filming can be done in the gravel and grass areas as natural settings,” Falcon said. “These activities will not be occurring every day.” The repurposed buildings will retain their “older brick character” and be used as storage for furniture and equipment for grass cutting and snow removal, Falcon said. The area will be patrolled and have 24-hour security.
Outdoor filming will comply with local ordinances regarding noise and lighting, he added.
The property, across Oceanport Avenue from the main post, is bordered by Parkers Creek, Riverside Avenue, the New Jersey Transit railroad tracks and Oceanport Avenue. Adjacent to the site is a waterfront residential area and The Wharf restaurant in the former fort marina. Residents have expressed concerns about the impacts on their neighborhood since Netflix announced its plans in 2021.
Following input from board members and residents during the three-hour meeting attended by about 30 residents, Netflix agreed to adjust its plans. Board members then unanimously granted conditional approval for Phase 2 based on the company’s assurances the changes would be made.
Civil engineer Chris Cirrotti of Langan Engineering, retained by Netflix for the fort project, said signaling at the intersection of Oceanport Avenue and Route 537 (Avenue of Memories through the fort) will be reconfigured. Sidewalks in the area will be replaced, improved and extended in response to pedestrian safety concerns. Monmouth County will also be making road improvements there.
Regarding traffic, Cirrotti said the backlots “will not be a significant traffic driver” and the site will have “a low-intensity, off-hour use.” He noted 543 trees will be removed, and landscaping with large trees and serpentine planting beds will buffer the site and its 216-vehicle parking lot.
“The plantings going in exceed those being removed,” he said. Netflix also agreed to extend portions of the green buffer and add additional trees and irrigation.
“Thank you very much for making these concessions and being a good neighbor,” Mayor Tom Tvrdik told Falcon after the vote. About 30 acres of the property are undevelopable, Tvrdik said, and will remain open space.
The Army continues to fulfill its legal commitment to remediate environmental issues in the 400 Area, as it has done throughout the fort, before turning those “carveouts” over to Netflix.
Netflix plans to close on its purchase of almost 300 acres of Fort Monmouth Dec. 5. In Phase 1A, four soundstages, a mill, a backlot and support structures will be built on the McAfee parcel in Oceanport, with an opening targeted for 2027. Phase 1B – eight soundstages and similar buildings in Eatontown – is expected to open in 2028. Netflix will pay $55 million for the property with a projected investment of $900 million. The 1,126-acre fort also includes parts of Tinton Falls, which was largely built out or already spoken for before Netflix expressed interest.
The article originally appeared in the November 20 – 26, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
