By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
FORT MONMOUTH – The public can now access and peruse detailed plans for Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth online in a 137-page document complete with visuals.
Last Wednesday, The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) released Netflix’s reuse plan revealing the scope of the 12-soundstage production complex on almost 300 acres of the former U.S. Army base. Dimensions, setbacks, permitted uses, signage and other specifics are augmented by maps, photos, renderings and charts delineating the sizes and locations of all complex components.
The plan now goes to the three municipalities the fort spans – Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls – for a 45-day public comment period. In addition to each municipality’s professionals examining and weighing in on the contents, the public will have the opportunity to comment when each town’s municipal governing body and planning/zoning boards place the plan on their meeting agendas.
Officials at the special Oct. 25 meeting – called to allow the FMERA board to vote to advance the plan – expressed gratitude the process has reached this stage, calling the introduction, “a major milestone.”
Following the 45-day comment period, FMERA staff will review and respond to all comments prior to moving the proposal for final adoption by the FMERA board. Upon approval, Netflix will begin its 36-month approval period, “which will involve extensive reviews by a significant number of local, county and state agencies and authorities,” according to a press release which added, “FMERA anticipates these next steps to commence in the first quarter of next year.”
“Please review the document,” urged Kara Kopach, FMERA executive director. “The information and tables show how we got here.”
Situated primarily on both sides of the Avenue of Memories (Route 537) and across Oceanport Avenue, the 1,126-acre military installation was created about 100 years ago and later served as the U.S. leader in satellite and telecom technology. After the federal government decided to close the base in 2005, the state formed an independent authority that created a master Reuse Plan, assigning specific uses to each fort parcel for sale. FMERA was then formed to implement the plan and oversee the redevelopment. The original intended uses are detailed in the first section of the 137-page document which can be viewed on the FMERA website at fortmonmouthnj.com by clicking on Agendas under the Public Information tab and scrolling to the October 25, 2023 link.
The action moving the Reuse Plan is labeled “Amendment 20” demonstrating the number of times changes have been made to Fort Monmouth’s Master Plan since its 2008 adoption. Generally, the amendments involved altered uses to individual parcels based on developer interest.
“This has been a long and winding road, but it’s nice to see a finished product and the progress at this point,” said Oceanport Mayor Jay Coffey of the plan. “We’re looking for as much input as possible.” He said the plan will be posted on the Oceanport website and Facebook page.
In a message on the borough website, Coffey, an attorney, wrote, “In all likelihood, given the complexities and all the conditions that must be addressed, the Netflix transaction will not close until sometime in 2025. The full buildout will probably take a decade or more.” A Netflix spokesperson initially estimated opening in five to seven years when their winning bid was announced.
“The amendment aligns with the objectives and principles of the (fort’s original) Reuse Plan, as well as with state, county, and municipal planning goals,” FMERA staff wrote in recommending approval. “The development scenario proposed under this amendment will create a unique economic opportunity for residents within the fort and the surrounding area, resulting in direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts.” Staff cited job creation, increased spending at regional restaurants, hotels and retailers, and higher tax revenues for the host municipalities that can be used to invest in public services, infrastructure improvements and community development projects.
Finer Details
In addition to the previously revealed studio components, Netflix could create a bank, central utility plant, childcare facility, fitness center, hotel and services such as a laundry, beauty salons, shoe repair and clothing rentals.
Whether the facility will be open to the public remains unanswered. The company does not currently offer tours at its other studios, but sponsors “experiences” based on popular streaming shows. In October, Variety reported Netflix plans to open brick-and-mortar destinations in undisclosed locations that will be “mini theme parks” selling food, drink and merchandise with immersive installations. Netflix’s plan describes “buildings and structures for the sale, display, and/or rentals of goods; studio tours, theatrical performances, public film screenings/theaters, and/ or experiences related to motion picture, television, and broadcast studios.”
The maximum building height in the interior of the development is 90 feet. A “no build” area surrounds the entire property, as do 20-foot-high perimeter walls. A parking structure will rise 72 feet. The portion of the wall facing adjoining properties “must appear to be ten feet through the use of berms or other landscaping features.”
Affordable Housing
When the fort’s original reuse plan was formulated, provisions for low- and moderate-income housing, mandated by law, were included, with specific numbers of units assigned to certain parcels throughout the site. Once the Mega Parcel, a wholly commercial project, was created and Netflix won the bid to purchase it, homes assigned to those sites had to be relocated.
“FMERA looks forward to creating affordable housing opportunities in the host municipalities at alternative locations than those previously identified under the Reuse Plan,” staff noted. “An additional Plan Amendment may be required once developers are identified for affordable housing projects in Eatontown and Oceanport.” Details are elaborated on in the online document.
Three Perspectives
Several developers and business owners already operating on the fort were in the audience at the Oct. 25 meeting, along with a few area residents. Among them were Mario Criscione, whose family owns the former fort marina’s restaurant, now called Mama Dag’s Oyster House on Riverside Avenue, and Chris Ilvento, one of the principals of the multi-use Riverwalk Center project currently under construction inside the Oceanport Avenue gates.
“I came to learn what the future holds for us,” Criscione said. “I’m positive about it (Netflix coming to the fort). It will bring more life to the community.”
Joyce Fernandes, a real estate agent who moved to Riverside Avenue with her husband three years ago, said the couple did their “due diligence,” researching the fort’s redevelopment before they purchased their home, but that was before Netflix entered the picture. She said she is concerned about the fort’s so-called “400 area” along Gooseneck Road.
“It will be a rough slog to make it through the next 45 days,” Fernandes said. “My concerns are the uncertainty of what is coming to the ‘ghost field,’ an undeveloped area there. It’s not what we were told three years ago.”
“The continued redevelopment and economic revitalization of Fort Monmouth is the most profound fiscal, social and political development in Oceanport since Monmouth Park Racetrack opened in 1947,” Coffey wrote in his message to residents. “When properties are sold by FMERA… they become part of the borough’s tax rolls and, unless otherwise exempt, begin generating real property tax revenue.” Oceanport has 400 acres within the fort’s borders. To date, he said, approximately 171.46 acres have been sold and fully or partially developed.
The fort had 5 million square feet of building area, 70 percent of which is targeted for demolition. Eighty-six percent of the fort is already sold, under contract, in negotiations, or entering the request for proposals process. To date, FMERA has sold 34 parcels, and another six parcels are under contract or have board-approved contracts.
The article originally appeared in the November 2 – November 8, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
