Netflix will have to knock down nearly 100 Fort Monmouth buildings to build movie studio

Dan Radel, Asbury Park Press
Updated ·5 min read
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OCEANPORT - Netflix faces the laborious task of clearing nearly 100 old Army buildings off Fort Monmouth's Mega Parcel for its state-of-the-art film and TV production campus.

The number of buildings became clearer Monday when the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority started the clock on the public review period for the latest amendment to the fort's 2008 reuse plan, which acts as the master plan for the fort's redevelopment.

The amendment updates the 2008 reuse plan for the fort, which was drafted in anticipation of the fort's closure in 2011. The update was made to include the state-of-the-art motion picture, television and broadcast studio campus, which was not the original intended use for the fort properties that were sewn together to make the Mega Parcel.

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Netflix, which won the bid for the Mega Parcel just under a year ago, will need to knock down at least 95 former Army buildings on the land in order to build its many sound stages and backlots. That number could grow because the streaming giant is not obligated to keep any of the buildings that currently sit on the 292 acres of the Mega Parcel it intends to buy.

The "400 Area" located in Oceanport has 63 former Army buildings at the former Fort Monmouth. Almost all those buildings will need to be knocked down by Netflix in order to build its film and TV production campus.
The "400 Area" located in Oceanport has 63 former Army buildings at the former Fort Monmouth. Almost all those buildings will need to be knocked down by Netflix in order to build its film and TV production campus.

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As of now, there are 109 buildings dating back to the 1920s in the nine studio development zones within Mega Parcel.

The three respective fort towns of Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls have 45 days to review and approve this amendment.

Taking down the '400 Area'

The "400 Area" located in Oceanport has 63 former Army buildings of the former Fort Monmouth. Almost all the buildings will need to be knocked down by Netflix in order to build its film and TV production campus.
The "400 Area" located in Oceanport has 63 former Army buildings of the former Fort Monmouth. Almost all the buildings will need to be knocked down by Netflix in order to build its film and TV production campus.

If the towns sign off, then the three-year approval period will begin for Netflix, which is under contract to buy the Mega Parcel and build 12 sound studios, plus backlots and ancillary buildings. Netflix is expected to invest almost $1 billion to build a total of 5.2 million square feet of studio space.

The amendment will be scrutinized because it sets building heights, set backs, permitted signage and relocates affordable housing that was intended to be built in the Mega Parcel but won't now, since Netflix is not constructing any residential buildings.

Eatontown and Oceanport will each get a parcel that has been set aside by FMERA to build affordable housing.

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Most of the old army structures are located on what is called the "400 Area Parcel," on the east side of Oceanport Avenue in Oceanport. Here, on roughly 79 acres, are 63 former barracks, administrative, research and development buildings, warehouses and workshops. Before Netflix, FMERA had eyed the parcel for a transit village complete with new residences and retail space.

"We will review everything. We will be guided by our planner, our attorney and our planning board. The one problematic area is the '400 Parcel,' because it butts up against residential neighborhoods," said Oceanport Mayor Jay Coffey.

During the approval period, Netflix will draft its final site plan, which will lay out what's going where and what's being demolished. It then must get approvals from local, county and state agencies to proceed. After that it can close on the property and move into the construction phase.

"Any buildings not specifically called out for reuse will otherwise be demolished. Netflix is not obligated to reuse any buildings," said Sarah Giberson, FMERA's director of real estate development and marketing.

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A look inside the 995-seat Expo Theater at the former Fort Monmouth. Netflix has the option of removing or reusing the building.
A look inside the 995-seat Expo Theater at the former Fort Monmouth. Netflix has the option of removing or reusing the building.

Of the 109 buildings, FMERA has identified 14 that Netflix could keep and repurpose, such as 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, who played there for a charity album and a PBS program about folk and blues singers Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly. Springsteen returned 24 years later, after the fort closed, to rehearse in secret before his Wrecking Ball tour in 2012.

Bruce Springsteen - I Ain't Got No Home [1988-02-00 - Expo Theater, Fort Monmouth, NJ] from Ana on Vimeo.

"Netflix knows what it's getting into here. They've done their due diligence. Once they really get into these buildings they'll be able to determine if they can find a reuse for it, or not," Coffey said.

Coffey said the Netflix move to the fort is a real estate transaction that will certainly have the most impact on his borough since Monmouth Park was built in 1946.

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Building heights

An artistic rendering of the proposed Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth.
An artistic rendering of the proposed Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth.

As far as what Netflix is permitted to build, the new ground rules in the amendment fix the height of the tallest permanent structure at 88 feet. That is expected to be a studio business and production support office with a rooftop helipad. Netflix is also permitted to build two hotels with a maximum height of 84 feet.

The sound studios would be 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.

Protecting history

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The 21-acre historic parade ground known as Greely Field must remain a green space and is protected by a deed restriction. The World War II Memorial is protected by historic covenants and will remain undisturbed in perpetuity.

The Cowan Park Parcel, a roughly 5-acre triangular-shaped green space located in front of Russel Hall, which served as the Army's headquarters building at the fort, must also remain a green space and the flagpole preserved.

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 studio must knock down nearly 100 buildings