On Tuesday, the West Orange Town Council has several items on their plate related to a redevelopment agreement with Matrix Development Group. See the meeting agenda here.If it crosses the finish line, the deal would approve a film studio on about 12.2 acres of property within the town’s Film Services Overlay District. The proposed project would be located adjacent to the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in downtown West Orange, and would be directly behind the Edison Lofts on Main Street – the last surviving building of Edison’s once sprawling laboratory complex.

West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney and council member Bill Rutherford said the proposal would be a win for the township.

“We are excited for this project that will help move West Orange forward economically speaking for generations to come,” McCartney said.

“A film studio in downtown West Orange is the most appropriate historic location in the world and will bring prosperity to the town just as Thomas Edison did in the late 1880s,” the mayor added. “This will provide our town and its stakeholders financial stability that will positively impact our business owners, residents and local economy.”

“It will take a novel project like this – with a major investment in our Main Street corridor – to help us create the vibrant downtown that West Orange residents have been desiring for years,” Rutherford said.

Another supporter of the proposal, senator-elect and former West Orange mayor John McKeon, attended the Nov. 20 town council meeting to advocate for the deal.

Others in the community have been more cautious about what the proposal could mean for West Orange.

“New Jersey redevelopment law requires that prior to choosing a redeveloper for a parcel of land, the council must adopt a redevelopment plan,” local nonprofit advocacy group Our Green West Orange said Monday.

“Yet, this week the council is being asked to vote to hand over our downtown redevelopment area to Matrix Development Company without having first presented a real plan,” the group contended. “Matrix has only presented an outline that floats the possibility of a film studio.”

The proposed sale to Matrix is $1.7 million dollars less than what West Orange paid for it, the group said, adding that a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement may be a possibility for the developer.“What is the rush to approve this?” the group questioned.West Orange isn’t the only municipality in New Jersey that has seen a development proposal for a movie studio in recent years.In 2022, Great Point Studios and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center announced a new partnership with Lionsgate. The goal? To build a massive film production facility in Newark.

Last December, Netflix announced they will pay $55 million to buy 292 acres at Fort Monmouth. Netflix plans to construct one of their biggest film studios in the world there, including 12 soundstages.

Article originated in: Patch