Hello Hollywood: Jersey City will soon be home to NJ's largest movie production studio complex

A warehouse-turned-production studio will allow Jersey City to woo filmmakers and give traditional local sites such as New York, Brooklyn and Harlem, some competition.

Jersey City will be home to New Jersey’s largest movie production studio complex when the transformation of the Canal Crossing warehouse is completed, said Mayor Steven Fulop. 

Caven Point Studios is expected to be ready in spring 2020, according to Criterion Group, LLC, the real estate developer behind the project. 

The complex is 135,000 square feet in total with 70,000 square feet of it is going to three sound stages. The size will allow it to produce large scale projects, according to Criterion Group Principal Shibber Khan.

“We believe that the sheer size and quality of Caven Point Studios will make Jersey City competitive with other film production facilities, not just in the tri-state area, but on a national basis,” Khan said.

Fulop said he's a big fan of the project. 

Jersey City is an attractive place for production, and combined with tax incentives from the Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act that passed last year, should bring filmmakers and digital producers to the area.

"It was a good idea then and it is still a good idea now," Fulop said. "A large part of the community is involved in the industry and the studio aligns with our creative community."

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Criterion purchased the warehouse for $16.75 million in March. The state-of-the-art studios "is a huge step forward for Canal Crossing and will help to move forward with the promise and potential that the redevelopment plan was built around,” according to Bob Antonicello, GRID Real Estate, LLC, and project adviser.

New Jersey is working to make itself into a destination spot for Hollywood events. Most Recently the MTV’s Video Music Awards were hosted at the Prudential Center and some recent large-scale projects have also been filmed in Jersey City including NBC/Universal’s “The Enemy Within,” HBO’s “The Plot Against America,” and Apple TV’s “Little America.”

Some area residents expressed concern with the development, specifically how it affects parking.

The community is priority, Fulop said, adding the city will work to ensure there is space for residential parking.

Email: Browns@NorthJersey.com