Netflix has secured the final local approval it needs for its $903 million mega-studio at a former U.S. Army base in Monmouth County.
The newly approved section covers a 79-acre area in Oceanport, just north of the main soundstage campus at the planned Hollywood-style studio at Fort Monmouth.
A total of 47 World War II-era maintenance sheds and storage buildings will be demolished to make way for outdoor filming spaces and a support yard for the production facilities.
Five older brick structures will be renovated for storage, equipment and maintenance operations, while the rest of the property will be transformed into grass and gravel backlots.
The site will include lots for cast trailers, makeup and wardrobe trailers, catering and support vehicles. There will also be space for new roads, driveways, landscaping and stormwater management.
Oceanport Planning Board members unanimously approved the plans for the final phase Wednesday night after testimony from Netflix officials.
The final phase will complete Netflix’s mega-studio currently under construction across 289 acres of the former Fort Monmouth U.S. Army base, which spans Oceanport and Eatontown near Route 35.
Once completed, the studio will feature 12 soundstages totaling nearly 500,000 square feet, production and office buildings, a cafeteria, retail shops, trailer parks for crews, a theater, a hotel and visitor attractions.
At Wednesday’s meeting, some Oceanport residents expressed concerns about traffic, lighting, noise and security.
Netflix agreed to extend some landscaping buffers and said it will continue coordinating with Monmouth County on roadway and signal upgrades.
The company also said the area approved for the final phase of construction will not operate daily once completed. Filming will occur intermittently, with temporary sets and 24/7 security only when productions are active, according to Kenneth Falcon, Netflix’s senior manager for Fort Monmouth.
Outdoor filming must also comply with borough noise limits and lighting restrictions, officials said.
The project’s first phase, approved last year by Oceanport, focused on Fort Monmouth’s 29-acre McAfee Zone, which is being transformed into a campus for actors and production crews and includes four soundstages.
The largest portion of the project, approved by Eatontown officials in September, will serve as the campus’ main entrance and centerpiece, featuring eight additional soundstages up to 70 feet tall, along with production offices and a public plaza.
Fort Monmouth, established in 1917 and known for the development of FM radio, closed in 2011. The old buildings slated for demolition in the final phase of construction previously served as part of the Army’s motor pool and public works yard, including warehouses, workshops and storage structures dating back decades.
Demolition on the first phase of the project began in May, with construction on the final section expected to start next year and wrap up by 2028.
The studio campus is expected to be one of Netflix’s largest, comparable to its 300-acre facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, officials said.
Amid ongoing construction, both Oceanport and Eatontown have entered into tax agreements with Netflix, guaranteeing millions in annual revenue through a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program, known as a PILOT, over the next three decades.
Earlier this month, Oceanport approved a PILOT that will bring the borough nearly $65 million over 30 years. Last month, Eatontown approved a similar PILOT for the second phase of the studio project, including an immediate $47 million payment that borough officials said could fund long-needed improvements to roads, sewers and public facilities.
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