Netflix Effect resurrects apocalyptic abandoned lot with new homes
Residents who have driven down Pinebrook Road in Eatontown, NJ, have watched a part of the street slowly decay over the past 20 years.But all of that has changed. On Wednesday, developers broke ground and officially launched The Premiere at Monmouth, a new-home community within driving distance of the future site of the Netflix Studios East campus, a 292-acre production facility opening in 2028.The facility is expected to bring a significant amount of jobs to the region, as well as an influx of new business opportunities to support the “Hollywood of the East.”As Eatontown prepares for this unprecedented growth, this new housing development marks a crucial first step in building the housing stock considered necessary to support it.In 2025, Netflix broke ground on a $1 billion project to transform the former U.S.Army installation in Fort Monmouth, NJ, into a premier East Coast production hub. The development will feature 12 cutting-edge sound stages totaling nearly 500,000 square feet, with additional areas dedicated to supporting other production uses and community amenities.Almost immediately after construction began, interest in real estate in the area began to rise, with homeowners eager to move in so they would be close to the action and opportunities to come. The influx has created a huge demand.
One prime example of this: In May, NJ.com reported that a five-bedroom residence in Little Silver, NJ, a 10-minute drive from Eatontown and Fort Monmouth, sold for $2.6 million—a whopping $500,000, or 24%, above its $2.1 million asking price.In hopes that demand will grow as the studio inches closer to its opening day, developers are putting their money and crews to work.Ready for something new?A 10-minute drive down the road from the future Netflix studio sits Howard Commons, a former Army housing site that has been left to rot, much like Fort Monmouth’s army base, for the past two decades.Likened to an “apocalyptic-looking eyesore “ by local reporters,...