Grumman Studios at Port Washington North wins $1.25 million from New York State
A state board approved a $1.25 million grant for Grumman Studios in Port Washington North. Credit: Rick Kopstein
A state board on Thursday approved $1.25 million in grant funding for a film and television production studio in Port Washington North.
The money will reimburse the owner of Grumman Studios at Port Washington North for construction costs and equipment purchases, which totaled about $18 million. The land purchase was an additional $7.3 million, according to records.
The 100,000-square-foot building at 382 Channel Dr. was proposed by Grumman Studios’ owner Parviz Farahzad in 2019 in response to high demand for his Grumman Studios at Bethpage.
"That studio was at capacity, and he needed to expand to a new facility," said Cara Longworth, Long Island director for Empire State Development, the state's primary business-aid agency, which provided the grant.
Both studios take their name from the former Grumman Aerospace Corp., which for decades built fighter jets and the Lunar Module in Bethpage and where now movies and TV shows are made.
The Port Washington North facility is on 13 acres that once were home to sweepstakes giant Publishers Clearing House. The latter has since moved its headquarters to Jericho.
The studio has six soundstages to serve producers, many of whom are based in New York City.
"The productions also create significant local economic impact" as filmmakers purchase food, transportation and other services from vendors in the community, Longworth said at Thursday’s meeting of the ESD board of directors.
Before the board voted unanimously to pay the grant, its chairman Kevin Law noted the two Grumman Studios locations, along with Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage, have made Long Island a hub for film and TV production.
"The demand for studio space is increasing because … everybody is streaming [entertainment and the streaming services] need studio space to create their own stuff," said Law, who also is a partner at the developer Tritec Real Estate Co. in Ronkonkoma.
Reached after the board's decision, Farahzad, the studio owner, said the grant was "very much appreciated because it will help pay some of the expenses that we incurred. There were some cost overruns" on the Port Washington North project, he said in an interview.
Farahzad predicted the new studio, which "was built from the ground up," would help Long Island "compete [for productions] with studios in California and New York, and to bring jobs here."
Besides the soundstages, the facility has production offices, dressing rooms, a room where actors can relax in between performances, and parking.
In addition to the state aid, the Port Washington North studio was awarded tax breaks from the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency in September 2020.
The IDA help consisted of a sales-tax exemption of up to $776,250 off the purchase of construction materials and equipment, plus up to $90,000 off the mortgage-recording tax and 15 years of property-tax savings. The latter totaled more than $1 million in 2022, according to the most recent state records.
At the time that the IDA gave tax breaks to the Port Washington North studio, the agency also agreed to add nine years of property-tax savings to an existing deal for Grumman Studios at Bethpage.
A state board on Thursday approved $1.25 million in grant funding for a film and television production studio in Port Washington North.
The money will reimburse the owner of Grumman Studios at Port Washington North for construction costs and equipment purchases, which totaled about $18 million. The land purchase was an additional $7.3 million, according to records.
The 100,000-square-foot building at 382 Channel Dr. was proposed by Grumman Studios’ owner Parviz Farahzad in 2019 in response to high demand for his Grumman Studios at Bethpage.
"That studio was at capacity, and he needed to expand to a new facility," said Cara Longworth, Long Island director for Empire State Development, the state's primary business-aid agency, which provided the grant.
Both studios take their name from the former Grumman Aerospace Corp., which for decades built fighter jets and the Lunar Module in Bethpage and where now movies and TV shows are made.
The Port Washington North facility is on 13 acres that once were home to sweepstakes giant Publishers Clearing House. The latter has since moved its headquarters to Jericho.
The studio has six soundstages to serve producers, many of whom are based in New York City.
"The productions also create significant local economic impact" as filmmakers purchase food, transportation and other services from vendors in the community, Longworth said at Thursday’s meeting of the ESD board of directors.
Before the board voted unanimously to pay the grant, its chairman Kevin Law noted the two Grumman Studios locations, along with Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage, have made Long Island a hub for film and TV production.
"The demand for studio space is increasing because … everybody is streaming [entertainment and the streaming services] need studio space to create their own stuff," said Law, who also is a partner at the developer Tritec Real Estate Co. in Ronkonkoma.
Reached after the board's decision, Farahzad, the studio owner, said the grant was "very much appreciated because it will help pay some of the expenses that we incurred. There were some cost overruns" on the Port Washington North project, he said in an interview.
Parviz Farahzad, owner of Grumman Studios, in 2019. Farahzad said the $1.25 million awarded Thursday from Empire State Development will help Grumman compete with national studios. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Farahzad predicted the new studio, which "was built from the ground up," would help Long Island "compete [for productions] with studios in California and New York, and to bring jobs here."
Besides the soundstages, the facility has production offices, dressing rooms, a room where actors can relax in between performances, and parking.
In addition to the state aid, the Port Washington North studio was awarded tax breaks from the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency in September 2020.
The IDA help consisted of a sales-tax exemption of up to $776,250 off the purchase of construction materials and equipment, plus up to $90,000 off the mortgage-recording tax and 15 years of property-tax savings. The latter totaled more than $1 million in 2022, according to the most recent state records.
At the time that the IDA gave tax breaks to the Port Washington North studio, the agency also agreed to add nine years of property-tax savings to an existing deal for Grumman Studios at Bethpage.
James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.
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