Netflix at Fort Monmouth: Here's what three towns demanded to OK studio deal

OCEANPORT - The three Fort Monmouth towns have spoken.

While no town threw up any roadblocks to Netflix building its production studios here, they did ask for minor changes during their review period of the all-important Amendment 20 at the former Fort Monmouth.

They want smaller hotels, an increase in the size of some of the no-build zones and buffers between the studios and residential homes and signage moved further from the Avenue of Memories.

"Our residents voiced concerns about building heights and setbacks and we answered them with clarity and came back with a reasonable plan," Oceanport Mayor Tom Tvrdik said, after voting "yes" on Amendment 20 last week.

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Amendment 20 is the much anticipated development of a motion picture, television and broadcast studio campus, which was not contemplated under the fort's 2008 reuse plan. That plan was drafted three years before the military installation closed in 2011 to be the master plan for the fort's redevelopment.

As part of the redevelopment process, any time a change to the plan comes up, the reuse plan must be amended to reflect the new use. So far there have been 19 changes, perhaps none so big as number 20 — the Netflix studio. The review period for Amendment 20 began on Nov. 3 and ended Dec. 20.

The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, or FMERA, approved the amendment last week and it now sits on Gov. Phil Murphy's desk for the final OK. The veto period ends March 7. As FMERA is a state agency, the governor has the ultimate approval power.

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The fort's three host towns — Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls — had 45 days for a public review, and out of that process a few changes were asked for, and unless Murphy vetoes the plan, it will be approved.

One change is the permitted height of hotels in the Mega Parcel eyed by Netflix were reduced from 84 feet to 72 feet. Another was digital monument display sign that is permitted in the Mega Parcel near the Route 35 entrance can't be placed within 250 feet of Avenue of Memories.

In Oceanport's "400 Area," which lies to the east of Oceanport Avenue, a no-build setback along Riverside Avenue and the North Jersey Coastline Railroad was increased from 25 feet to 150 feet. The maximum building heights in the 400 Area, were reduced from 85 feet to 72 feet.

Eatontown also asked for additional landscaping buffering between Rose Court and the Mega Parcel.

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Affordable housing changes

Several parcels were sewn together to make the 292-acre Mega Parcel. Two of those parcels were planned for town-center type developments complete with residences, retail and commercial spaces. Those properties were Parcel B in Eatontown and the 400 Area in Oceanport.

Since Netflix is not building any residences, the affordable housing that was to be built in those two parcels has been moved to three development zones on the southern perimeter of Mega Parcel. The parcels give Eatontown room to build 62 units of affordable housing and Oceanport has room for 49 units.

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What's next?

It is still a long road ahead before Netflix's studio, the biggest it will have on the East Coast, gets constructed.

If Murphy signs off on Amendment 20, then the 36-month approval process begins. Netflix will need to get the OK for its site plan from the local planning boards of two fort towns, Eatontown and Oceanport, and a myriad of county and state permits and approvals. Only after that can it finally close on the sale and begin construction.

Lots of work ahead: Netflix will have to knock down nearly 100 Fort Monmouth buildings to build movie studio

Construction will be no walk in the park either. As of now, there are 109 former Army buildings dating back to the 1920s in the nine studio development zones within the Mega Parcel. Netflix will need to clear at least 95 of them. Most of them — 63 to be precise — are old barracks in the 400 Area.

Not all the buildings need to come down, though. FMERA has identified 14 buildings that can be repurposed if Netflix so chooses. Those include Mallette Hall, the Expo Theater and Vail Hall. Mallette Hall was built in 1953 and was the material command headquarters. Vail Hall was built the year before Mallette and was a communications hub. The 995-seat Expo Theater was built in 1968. The theater's legacy includes a 1988 performance by rock 'n' roll icon Bruce Springsteen.

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'Hollywood of the East'

Netflix is planning to build 12 sound studios, plus backlots and ancillary buildings. The streaming giant is expected to invest almost $1 billion to build a total of 5.2 million square feet of studio space — what Murphy called "The Hollywood of the East."

Murphy played a role in luring Netflix here with tax incentives. But it was also the space, roughly 300 acres within proximity to New York City, that was also got Netflix's attention.

The sound studios are capped at 70 feet. Netflix would also be allowed to construct temporary buildings on the back lots that could be as tall as 90 feet. Those structures could be thrown up for use in a film and then taken down. The tallest permanent structure is capped at 88 feet. That is expected to be a studio business and production support office with a rooftop helipad.

All told, Netflix has agreed to create 3,500 jobs during peak construction and between 1,400 to 2,200 permanent jobs once complete. However, the economic impact will be much greater, as the studios are expected to boost the area's small businesses as workers will shop at local stores, use local caterers or need to find housing, not to mention the tourist traffic. Netflix predicts its economic impact on New Jersey over the next two decades alone will equal $3.8 to $4.6 billion.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Netflix Fort Monmouth: What Eatontown, Oceanport, Tinton Falls want