Netflix holds groundbreaking ceremony for new studio in New Jersey
MONMOUTH COUNTY, N.J. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Some say it could help new jersey take a big step towards becoming the Hollywood of the east.
Netflix broke ground Tuesday on a huge new studio facility it plans to build on the grounds of an old military base at the Jersey Shore.
The project is touted as a transformative game-changer for the region and state.
In true Hollywood form, there were crews, lights, cameras, and of course, action.
Netflix kicked off demolition to start clearing the way for a massive state-of-the-art production facility at the site of the defunct Fort Monmouth Army Base in Eatontown and Oceanport.
"It's a big tract of land, has a lot of history, and I'm really glad they're going something with it," said Joan Cichalski, a resident of Neptune Township.
The company broke ground for the project, representing a close to one billion dollar investment by Netflix.
It'll include 12 sound stages, back lot areas and production facilities on a campus spanning nearly 300 acres serving as the media giant's flagship location on the East Coast.
"We estimate that these studios will create thousands of jobs for New Jersey residents, billions of dollars of economic output, and many cultural benefits for the region and for the state," said Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix.
It's seen as a huge win for New Jersey's film and television industry. The state providing significant tax breaks an incentive luring a growing number of productions.
"We extended these credits to 2039 with the explicit statement that this is not about us. This is about generations to come," said Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ).
Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth is projected to open in about three years. The military base closed in 2011.
"A lot of the mom and pop shops and some of the other businesses really took a news dive. And so this will be a full reboot," said Kara Kopach with the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority.
85 buildings at Fort Monmouth are set to demolished, but eight are not. One of the buildings is only about 25 years old, and plans call for it to be one of the first Netflix soundstages to come online.
"People are positive about what we're doing here, which has caused other developments to kind of start moving even faster," Kopach expressed.
A blockbuster project expected to breathe new life into Fort Monmouth with star power.
