Even now, 25 years after The Sopranos, Hollywood projects continue flocking to New Jersey.  And just last week, Netflix received a key approval to move forward on a production complex in Fort Monmouth, NJ. And good things come in two’s as an Essex County town is also venturing to capitalize on the moment. On February 1st, the Township of West Orange published a Request for Proposal (RFP) for downtown redevelopment that included plans for a 12.2-acre film studio complex. The due date for the proposal is March 13th, and a selection date is set for April 11th The Details

In August 2006, the West Orange Town Council adopted a Redevelopment Plan for a designated “Redevelopment Area,” an area “situated primarily on the east side of Main Street between Park Avenue and Babcock Place in Downtown West Orange,” per the recent RFP. Since then, the plan has been periodically amended, with the most recent plan adopted on September 14th, 2021. Phase 1 of the development plan included the addition of the mixed-use Edison Lofts residence building, among other developments. The February 2024 proposal marks the fourth amendment in 18 years.

Included in the plans is a proposal for a film studio complex on approximately 12.2 acres of land on Block 115 of the Redevelopment Area, which includes sections of Standish Avenue and Ashland Avenue. Per TapInto, “the proposed project is adjacent to the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in downtown West Orange and directly behind the Edison Lofts on Main Street.” The designated area of land is within the Film Services Overlay Zone, which was approved in an earlier amendment to the Redevelopment Plan.

Matrix Development Group, a New Jersey-based real estate developer, was named a potential developer for the project in December 2023. If selected, the redevelopment rights for Matrix will pay the Township $200,000, which according to TapInto, “represents the amount of property taxes that would have been collected on the property in 2023.” You can read the proposed agreement between West Orange Township and Matrix Development Group here.

In addition to the film studio, the RFP also notes that “The Redevelopment Area is included in the Township’s affordable housing compliance plan, as certified by the Court.” The new amendment to the redevelopment plan “must provide for the development of a minimum of 44 low- and moderate-income affordable dwelling units, or 20% of the total residential units to be developed, if greater, within the Project Area or elsewhere in the Township.” The RFP indicates that there have been “preliminary environmental investigations in the Project Area,” and concluded that, so far, there are no environmental constraints that should inhibit the development of affordable housing in the designated area.

As of now, all of this is merely an announcement of a request for proposals. The official proposal is due Wednesday, March 13th, and the selection date is Thursday, April 11th, in which the Township will announce if a preferred developer has been chosen. You can read the complete RFP here and see all the relevant proposal materials here.

The Context 

West Orange isn’t the only New Jersey town with a film studio hovering over its future. Earlier this week, Netflix “received a key approval to build a massive film production complex at Fort Monmouth, the former army base in Ocean County,” per NJ Spotlight News. The required zoning for the $900 million studio was approved by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority Board, and can now proceed for further approvals.

During Governor Phil Murphy’s first term in 2018, he enacted the Film + Digital Media Tax Credit, a bill that, per NJ.gov, “provides a transferable credit against the corporation business tax and the gross income tax for certain expenses incurred for the production of certain films and digital media content in New Jersey,” landing somewhere between 30% to 35% of qualified film production expenses. The goal of the bill is “to incentivize production companies to film and create digital media content in New Jersey,” with the hopes that the arrival of production companies means more jobs for New Jersey residents.

New Jersey’s film industry has reportedly created “8,500 jobs across” the state, per NorthJersey.com. The ever-growing industry in New Jersey is thought to revitalize communities in which filming happens. In addition to jobs needed on the actual film location, it’s believed that the presence of crews boosts local economies, who are likely to visit local businesses on off-hours or breaks. This is part of the West Orange mindset: “A film studio in downtown West Orange is the most appropriate historical location in the world and will bring prosperity to the town just as Thomas Edison did in the late 1880s,” said West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney to TapInto back in 2023. “This will provide our town and its stakeholders with financial stability that will positively impact our business owners, residents, and local economy.”