Keep Netflix Out Of Fort Monmouth, Say Some Monmouth County Residents

OCEANPORT, NJ — Think everyone is excited Netflix plans to open a massive film production studio on the old Fort Monmouth Army base?

Nope.

One group of Monmouth County residents say they strongly oppose the proposal from the streaming giant, and they are skeptical Netflix will provide the jobs and economic boon the company — and Gov. Phil Murphy — promise.

"We know the idea that Fort Monmouth could become a glamorous 'Beverly Hills-esque' area is appealing," said Laura Lee, a Long Branch resident who is a member of No2Netflix. "But once the money is all used up, film studios file bankruptcy and move onto the next community. When someone else offers more, the studios flee."

She said the group, No2Netflix, is a collection of Monmouth County residents like her, who own homes or work near the abandoned Army fort.

Fort Monmouth is a 1,127-acre former U.S. Army base that straddles the areas of Tinton Falls, Oceanport and Eatontown. The Army closed it down a decade ago, and huge swaths of the fort have sat empty and abandoned. Tumbleweeds have actually been seen blowing through the property.

Last October, after months of rumors, Netflix confirmed they seek to purchase 298 acres on the base, and turn it into a film production studio that will span blocks. In June, Netflix officially placed their bid to buy the land from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA).

FMERA has not yet selected Netflix; three other companies also placed bids to buy or lease that lot.

Gov. Phil Murphy heavily 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.

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.

“I am incredibly excited to hear about Netflix's proposed investment in New Jersey," said Murphy at the time. "This is yet more evidence that the economic plan my administration has laid out is working and bringing high-quality, good-paying jobs to our state."

The residents are highly skeptical.

"High-paying jobs? These never materialize," said Lee. "In Netflix's Albuquerque studios, they promised thousands of new jobs, but included temporary workers, temp construction jobs and unpaid film extras in their accounting. The jobs that the politicians claim will come – editors, visual effects creators, jobs for film school grads, etc. — all get 'C' and 'D' ratings for unemployment (already huge numbers of unemployed people in the field), unsteady work and salary."

Netflix declined to respond to the group.

"Even Georgia which is touted as the 'Hollywood of the South' has had to throw billions in order to get productions to stay in Georgia," Lee continued. "Netflix pulled 'Stranger Things' from Georgia and put the project in their Albuquerque facility after New Mexico agreed to tens of millions more in investment, construction bonds and land."

New Mexico has become a big movie production hub, thanks in part to tax breaks from Gov. Lujan Grisham. Some have criticized it as bad for New Mexico's state finances; others say it's a shot in the arm to New Mexico's economy.

In June of this year, Netflix and three other companies submitted bids to open at Fort Monmouth. FMERA has not yet made a decision which company they will select. They said they will do so before the end of 2022.

Murphy's office also declined to respond to the residents, as did a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), which oversees the development of Fort Monmouth.

However, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, a trade group, said they strongly support Netflix moving in:

“We maintain that Netflix’s arrival will indeed bring job creation to New Jersey, be an economic driver for Monmouth County and surrounding areas, and help New Jersey grow as an East Coast hub for the film and television industry,” said spokesman Bob Considine in a statement to New Jersey 101.5. “It’s been over a decade since Fort Monmouth closed its doors and jobs disappeared. It is time we realized the Fort Monmouth economic promise.”

"We’re excited to submit our bid to transform Fort Monmouth into a state-of-the-art production facility," said a Netflix spokesperson in late October of 2021. “America's first movie studio was in New Jersey, and today it's home to many talented people working in entertainment. Gov. Murphy and the state’s legislative leaders have created a business environment that's welcomed film and television production back to the state."

Original Patch report: Netflix Places Bid To Open Monmouth County Film Studio (June 2022)

Netflix Confirms It Wants To Open Fort Monmouth Film Studio (Oct. 2021)