After years of planning, Netflix recently broke ground on its massive production studio planned for a 289-acre former Army base in Monmouth County.
Gov. Phil Murphy and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos joined state and local officials last month to kick off the project, as a wrecking ball took its first swing to start demolition at the historic site.
The media giant has secured the local and state approvals it needs to move forward with phase one of its $903 million plan to transform the shuttered Army base into one of its largest film and television production hubs.
Here’s the latest on where the project stands and what’s still to come:
Where will the new Netflix studio be located?
Netflix won a $55 million bid in 2021 to acquire the 289-acre “mega-parcel” at Fort Monmouth, a former U.S. Army base spanning the boroughs of Oceanport and Eatontown near Route 35.
The base, originally established in 1917 as Camp Little Silver, played a key role in military communications and technology development.
It was home to several major innovations, including the development of FM radio. It was also the site of Project Diana — a 1940s experiment that successfully bounced radar signals off the Moon.
“Nearly 80 years ago, the U.S. Army worked within the halls of Fort Monmouth to send radar signals to the stars for the first time as part of Project Diana,” Gov. Phil Murphy said at the Netflix studio groundbreaking in May. “Soon, Netflix will work within these same walls to capture and send stars of a different variety into the homes and screens of millions of viewers around the world.”
Fort Monmouth officially closed in 2011. More than 5,000 civilian and military jobs relocated to an Army base in Maryland.
The property includes several historic, protected sites like the parade grounds, World War II Memorial and Cowan Park, all of which must be preserved during development, according to officials.
What is Netflix building at Fort Monmouth?
Netflix wants to transform Fort Monmouth into a state-of-the-art film and television production campus.
The $903 million project includes 12 soundstages totaling nearly 500,000 square feet, along with production and office buildings.
A hotel, cafeteria, helipad, theater, retail shops, studio trailer parks, water tanks for aquatic filming and visitor attractions are also planned.
According to recent site plans, the infrastructure will include new roads, sidewalks, landscaping and stormwater systems. And the entire campus will be enclosed by a precast concrete wall monitored by security.
The studio is expected to be one of Netflix’s largest, similar to the company’s 300-acre facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Netflix officials previously told NJ Advance Media.
When will it be finished?
Demolition at Fort Monmouth began May 2025 following the ceremonial groundbreaking, marking the start of a 13-month teardown of the aging Army buildings.
Once demolition is complete, construction will move forward in two phases over the next few years.
Phase one will focus on the 29-acre McAfee Zone, which spans Oceanport and about three acres of Eatontown. The area includes the 90,000-square-foot McAfee Center and a 1965 bowling alley, both slated for demolition. In total, 15 buildings will be cleared to make way for new facilities.
The first phase of construction includes building four soundstages, converting the McAfee Center into studio offices and production support space, and constructing a warehouse and mill building.
The buildings will not be open to the public and are intended for cast, crew and studio operations, according to planning documents.
Phase two will include building the remaining eight soundstages, more production and office buildings, and visitor attractions.
Under terms set by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, the agency overseeing the site’s redevelopment, both phases must be completed within eight years of the land deal’s closing.
Netflix expects the entire production campus to be finished by 2028, officials said.
Who has approved the plan so far?
Since announcing its proposal to build a production campus at Fort Monmouth, Netflix has received several key approvals at the state and local level.
The first major approval came from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority in February 2024.
Following a 45-day public comment period, the authority unanimously approved an amendment establishing zoning for the project, allowing the base to be reused as a studio under Netflix’s plans.
The initial reuse plans were also signed off by Gov. Phil Murphy.
By the end of 2024, both Jersey Shore towns where the studio will be located, Oceanport and Eatontown, approved Netflix’s phase one site plans.
A second application, covering the remainder of the campus, will go before the Eatontown Planning Board in August.
Are there any concerns about Netflix’s plans?
Murphy and other state officials have been vocal supporters of Netflix’s planned production hub, calling it a catalyst for making New Jersey “the future of entertainment.”
Still, there have been some local-level concerns throughout the approval process.
Public meetings leading up to state and municipal sign-offs revealed a range of community worries, including traffic congestion, construction noise, building aesthetics and the potential impact on nearby wetlands.
Some residents questioned whether the development would strain local emergency services. Others criticized Netflix’s plan for a concrete perimeter wall, with one Oceanport planning board member saying it clashed with Fort Monmouth’s historic character and should be built with brick instead.
Despite the concerns, the project continues to advance, with Netflix and state officials highlighting its potential to create thousands of jobs and generate billions for New Jersey’s economy.
Is the Netflix studio getting any tax breaks?
Netflix is set to receive hundreds of millions in tax breaks as part of its plan to build a production studio on Fort Monmouth.
The company will have access to a $150 million pool of incentives and a potential 40% tax credit through New Jersey’s Film and Digital Media Tax Credit program, according to the state Economic Development Authority.
It has also been approved for up to $387 million in tax credits under the authority’s Aspire program, which supports large-scale development projects with long-term economic benefits. In exchange, Netflix has committed to operating the studio in New Jersey for at least 10 years.
According to state officials, the production campus will create more than 3,500 construction jobs and employ about 1,400 people once operational.
Over 20 years, the studio is projected to contribute between $3.8 billion and $4.6 billion to New Jersey’s economy, state officials said.
At the groundbreaking last month, Murphy said “good-paying jobs are soon to follow” as construction begins.
“As we begin building the 12 state-of-the-art soundstages that will anchor this facility, we’ll rely on New Jersey’s construction workers to get the job done,” Murphy said.
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