One large portion of Fort Monmouth, an Army post located in three Monmouth County communities that was closed in 2011, could be used as a location for a Netflix production center.
The facility will be situated on a 289-acre mega parcel made available to Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) in July.
On Tuesday, Netflix confirmed that it had submitted a bid to purchase the parcel. It is located in Eatontown, Oceanport at Oceanport fort. It is not clear how many bids were received.
A spokesperson for Netflix told NJ Advance Media that New Jersey was home to America's first movie studio. "Governor Phil Murphy and the state's legislators have created a business climate that welcomes film and television production back into the state. We're excited about submitting our bid to transform Fort Monmouth to a state of the-art production facility.
Governor. After Georgia passed a controversial restrictive voting law, Phil Murphy wrote to several prominent film and entertainment companies such as Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros., offering tax incentives and other incentives to lure them to New Jersey.
Murphy stated Tuesday that he was "incredibly excited" to hear about Netflix’s investment proposal in New Jersey.
"While all applications must go through an objective process, this is more proof that the economic plan my office has laid out is working," said the governor, who will be reelection candidate against Jack Ciattarelli next Tuesday. "New Jersey is a leader in innovative industries, from offshore wind to betting on sports to film and digital media. Today's announcement by Netflix shows that other companies are paying attention."
This 289-acre tract includes Oceanport's Horseneck Development District, and its 100,000-square foot McAfee Center. It is a former research-and-development facility that was built on 45 acres in 1997. It also contains Fort Monmouth's historic area. Any development will be protected Fort Monmouth's parade grounds and World War II Memorial, as well as Cowan Park.
The FMERA resolution that approved the RFOTP process stated that the Mega Parcel (Request for Offer To Buy) was issued with the intent to redevelop Fort with a forward-looking, transformative project that aims at meeting the highest standards in economic and sustainable development.
Michele Siekerka, President & CEO of New Jersey Business & Industry Association said that the project would create "thousands" of jobs and exciting opportunities for workforce development programs. She also stated that the project will bring "a flurry economic activity that will transform the area and region."
Siekerka stated that "Netflix's interest is in New Jersey" and was an exciting development for Monmouth County as well as the entire State of New Jersey. "Reimagining Fort Monmouth to be a production facility for the streaming leader would help revive the local economy, and create a new ecosystem in the state.
According to the New York Times, Fort Monmouth would be Netflix’s second-largest production site after ABQ Studios New Mexico, which it purchased in 2018.
Bids are due Jan. 12 but it was not clear when the FMERA would decide which bidder would receive approval for the huge redevelopment project.
Paramount Realty and Lennar Monmouth Developers were successful in bidding for Parcel B, an 89-acre parcel of property. However, both companies pulled out due to uncertainty in the retail market, according the Asbury Park Press.
