Netflix Confirmed Wednesday Morning 10/12 - Ft. Monmouth
OCEANPORT, NJ — Netflix has been selected to open a massive film production studio at Fort Monmouth if a price can be agreed upon. Fort Monmouth is the former military base in Monmouth County that was shut down by the U.S. Army in 2011.
If the deal goes through, Netflix will purchase 298 acres on the base and open TV/movie production studios that will span blocks. It would be Netflix's second biggest film studio in the world, rivaling their existing New Mexico film studios, which sit on 300 acres.
The news was confirmed by Netflix Wednesday morning. Netflix said they plan to build "across" the 298 acres, but not at the fort's parade grounds.
"While there is still work to be done with the Economic Development Authority and local leadership to finalize the deal, we are thrilled that FMERA's preferred choice ... is our proposal for a state-of-the-art production complex," said a Netflix spokesperson. "If our plans are approved, we hope to build a facility that will create significant economic impact and job growth for New Jersey."
In June of this year, Netflix placed a bid to purchase the land from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA), the government entity that owns all the land on the old Army base.
Three other companies, nearly all of them real estate development firms, also placed bids to buy or lease that parcel of land.
Until today, FMERA has not made a decision on which bidder they selected for the property. But it was widely assumed Netflix would be chosen as the top bidder for that parcel of land, as Gov. Phil Murphy strongly backs Netflix coming to New Jersey.
However, Netflix and FMERA have not yet agreed on a sale price for the 298 acres, and there is no signed agreement of sale between FMERA and Netflix. Over the next few months, FMERA and Netflix still need to "finalize economic terms of the deal," said the Netflix spokesperson Wednesday.
It was Murphy who initially wooed Netflix to come to New Jersey: In April of 2021 he sent a letter to the studio heads at Netflix, Disney and Warner Bros. trying to lure them with tax breaks to film movies in the Garden State.
In that letter, Murphy specifically criticized Georgia's voter ID laws and said voter ID should factor into their decision to leave Georgia and come to New Jersey.
“I’ve watched the recent decisions coming from the Georgia State House with disappointment. Restricting the right to vote is more than just wrong, it’s un-American,” Murphy wrote in his letter, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. "Our new $14.5 billion economic incentive package makes the Garden State just as competitive as Georgia to attract film and television production businesses. One thing is clear: when it comes to social policies, corporate responsibility, and — not to be overlooked — economic opportunity, New Jersey is now a top contender for your business.”
Murphy offered the film studios tax credits equal to what Georgia currently offers: Tax credits up to 30 percent of production costs and a 40-percent tax credit for any studio that opens brick-and-mortar offices, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Murphy said if Netflix opens the film production studio, it will bring "high-quality, good-paying jobs to our state." Netflix said they want to come to New Jersey because "the state is loaded with creative talent and technical expertise.”
A small group of Monmouth County residents say they are skeptical Netflix will bring permanent jobs to this area, and they criticized the tax breaks the Murphy administration gave the streaming giant. They formed the website No2Netflix.
Fort Monmouth straddles the towns of Tinton Falls, Oceanport and Eatontown and is 1,127 acres in total. Huge swaths of the base have sat empty and abandoned for more than a decade now.
But Fort Monmouth is currently witnessing an unprecedented redevelopment boom: There are luxury townhouses for rent and for sale at the Fort, a high-end gym called the Fort Athletic Club, and a brewery will open in the old Army grocery store this weekend.
Report Provided by: Carly Baldwin,Patch Staff
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