Rendering courtesy of Putsola & Associates, Lionsgate | Thompson & Bender
Lionsgate Entertainment’s plan to create a major film and television studio in downtown Yonkers is close to completion.
By Bill Cary and Cristiana Caruso
Robert Halmi’s Great Point Studios will unveil the long-awaited and anticipated opening of one of the largest modern-built production campuses in the northeast, Lionsgate Studios Yonkers. The studio is officially set to open on January 11, 2022.
The $100-million studio in the heart of the 24-acre iPark Hudson campus — owned by National Resources of Greenwich, CT — was officially given the greenlight by the city’s planning board in January of 2020, not quite two years ago. The studio will feature two sound stages, both 20,000 square feet, and a smaller stage, spanning 10,000 square feet. The campus will also feature 100,000 square feet of office and support space along the Yonkers waterfront, and will also be managed by Great Point Studios.
The Yonkers Industrial Development Agency (IDA) granted preliminary approvals for tax incentives for the construction of the $60 million first phase of the development, just six months after the Santa Monica-based studio company signed a letter of intent to occupy 80,000 square feet of new production space at the site of the former Otis Elevator property on Wells Avenue.
The studio originally hoped to be up and running in late fall of 2020, according to Yonkers Planning Director Lee Ellman, though pandemic shutdowns and supply constraints delayed the opening until now. The project is anticipated to create between 285 and 420 full-time permanent jobs, as well as around 400 construction jobs, according to the Yonkers IDA.
Two years ago, project developer Joseph Cotter of National Resources noted that the multiplier effect for this type of development is one of the highest in the industry. It is estimated that the new production facility will create $65 million annually in economic development from additional companies such as caterers and production staff who will relocate to service the studios.
In recent years, film crews and production trailers have been spotted all over Yonkers and its neighboring communities. The goal now is to position Yonkers as the New York area’s premier filming destination. It is being reported that the first project set to be produced at the new facility will be Lionsgate Television’s Run the World, a woman-focused comedy series set in Harlem and produced for Starz.
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