As a real estate agent in Monmouth Beach, Stephanie Beck commutes through Fort Monmouth to and from her home in Lyncroft, so she’s noticed the 1,140-acre decommissioned Army base being gradually redeveloped as a commercial and residential enclave an hour from Manhattan, between the Garden State Parkway and the Jersey Shore.
“I drive through there every day and it’s exciting to see the development that’s been happening,” said Beck, who works in a RE/MAX Elite office on Beach Road.
But none of it compares with word this week that Netflix is eyeing a 289-acre parcel being marketed by the fort’s redevelopment agency as a site for a major production facility with the potential to bring thousands of jobs, untold economic activity, and a sprinkling of Hollywood pixie dust to Monmouth County’s northern shore.
“In all honesty, it’s very, very exciting,” Beck said, adding that any such move was likely to further stimulate the Shore region’s already hot housing market. “Whether it’s Netflix of any other production company, it can only be good for the New Jersey economy and Monmouth County in particular.”
Netflix issued a statement on Tuesday saying it planned to submit plans to develop the site in response to a request for proposals issued last summer by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, the agency created in the wake of the base’s decommissioning in 2010 amid a wave of military base closing and other spending cuts. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 12.
“America’s first movie studio was in New Jersey, and today it’s home to many talented people working in entertainment,” a Netflix spokesperson told NJ Advance Media, a reference to Thomas Edison’s 1893 Black Maria studio in West Orange. “Governor (Phil) Murphy and the state’s legislative leaders have created a business environment that’s welcomed film and television production back to the state, and we’re excited to submit our bid to transform Fort Monmouth into a state-of-the-art production facility.”
In April, Murphy sent a letter to Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros. and other entertainment companies offering tax incentives to lure them to New Jersey, seizing on a restrictive voting law approved by the State of Georgia that prompted some in the industry to call for a boycott on productions in the state.
Murphy said Tuesday that he was “incredibly excited to hear about Netflix’s proposed investment in New Jersey.”
“While there is an objective process that any and all applications will have to go through, this is yet more evidence that the economic plan my administration has laid out is working and bringing high-quality, good-paying jobs to our state,” the Democratic governor, who is up for reelection against Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli next week, said in a statement. “New Jersey has become a leader in new, innovative industries from offshore wind to sports betting to film and digital media, and today’s announcement by Netflix is another sign that companies around the world are taking notice.”
Warner and Disney did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Jennifer Eckoff, executive director of the Eastern Monmouth Area Chamber of Commerce, said the studio would mean direct employment opportunities in film, television and digital production, as well as construction and other jobs related to a new facility, plus business for local restaurants, hotels, and every other sector of a local economy when a big new employer moves in.
For younger people now studying or aspiring to work in production, a local facility could allow them to stay in the area, rather than moving to New York of some other entertainment media hub.
Eckoff was nonplussed by the prospect of celebrity sightings at the local deli, noting that Monmouth already has its share of the rich and famous. But she hoped that, too, would make the area attractive to Netflix or other production houses.
“We have quite a few people like that who already live in this area,” she said. “I would hope that they would feel comfortable here and some of them even choose to make this area their home, because we respect their privacy.”
The fort was established just prior to the U.S. entry into World War I in 1917, and hosted research and development of military communications and other technology, including a well-known training facility for homing pigeons that persisted until 1957. Julius Rosenberg worked at the fort as a civilian contractor, before he and his wife, Ethel, were convicted of selling secrets to the Soviet Union and put to death.
Following the base’s closing, the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority developed a master plan calling for a broad range of uses including 1,585 housing units; 300,000 square feet of non-profit, government and educational space; 500,000 square feet of retail; and 2 million square feet of office, research and commercial space. Some of which has been achieved, including a breakthrough commercial project by the CommVault security firm, and the rehabilitation and sale of officers’ quarters by RPM as private housing.
The base stretches over the boroughs of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, each of which contains roughly a third of its acreage.
The large plot that Netflix or another company might develop is known as the main campus, located east of Route 35 and West of Oceanport Avenue, said Mayor Jay Coffey of Oceanport, who, along with his counterparts from Eatontown and Tinton Falls, is a statutory member of the revitalization authority board.
The main campus area is about two-thirds in Eatontown and one-third in Oceanport, and its private redevelopment will mean the property returns to the tax rolls for both municipalities, generating revenue where there had been none under the military, though Coffey said just how much that would be is impossible to calculate at this point.
“Oceanport is, as is Eatontown, very excited for the potential development here,” Coffey said.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mayor Anthony Talarico of Eatontown cited his position as a board member in declining to comment on Netflix or any other would-be developer of the site.
“That being said however, I am hopeful that the development of a 289 acre parcel will bring a new sense of excitement and innovation to the area,” Talarico stated in an email. “The closure of the Fort was devastating and redevelopment efforts have faced one hurdle after another. Such a large parcel will attract a sophisticated player with the ability to bring in a great project and overcome previous issues and obstacles. I look forward to the January submittal date and anticipate some very creative and exciting projects.”
Stephanie Beck, the real estate agent, said it was likely some residents of the area would be less than enthusiastic about a big new employer arriving in the area, and with it additional people and congestion.
“There’s always two sides,” said Beck. “Some people are gong to be, like, ‘Oh, more residents, more lines, more traffic!’ But I think it’s really exciting.”
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