The Rivermark project photographed on April 7 shortly after work had paused. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
A year after construction began on a 10-unit condominium complex at the corner of Maple Avenue and West Front Street, we noticed work had suddenly paused on the half-built project, with no discernible activity and no workers on site at least since early April. Time to ask: What’s going on here?
It’s all good, Samuel Shamaev, developer of the Rivermark project, told us. In fact, he said, the delay is part of what’s going to make it great.
Shamaev called the pause part of the normal building process and said framing of the walls and interiors should begin within the next week or two. His explanation, in sum: quality takes time. He did refer to the process of getting paperwork and approvals often taking longer than actual construction.
But in this case, he said it was mostly the result of plans being continually tweaked to make sure the building at 96-98 West Front Street stands out when it’s done. Plans call for an octagonal turret as a primary architectural feature and a rooftop deck overlooking the Navesink River. Prices are reportedly expected to run between two and three million bucks per unit.
“This is going to be the most luxurious building in South Jersey, Central Jersey, I believe, on the shore,” he said, apparently still getting acquainted with the admittedly indecipherable, murky, and hotly disputed New Jersey geographical designations.
The Rivermark at 96-98 West Front Street in a photo taken last week. (photo by Brian Donohue)
“I designed the whole building myself, so stuff changes on the fly and I keep making it better and better as I go on, and that takes time,” he said. “A lot of people go in, try to make something cookie-cutter and generic, and sell it to people for the highest price. I actually take pride in my work. I want to make sure this building is going to remain one of the top buildings for the next 200 years.”
He said he got conflicting advice from engineers, one who said he needed to put the building up on pilings and another who said it was not necessary. He decided to do it, sinking 170 45-foot pilings into the ground to serve as a foundation for the building. It added a half million dollars to construction costs, but it was worth it, he says.
“The whole building is 6000 psi concrete,” he said. “Everybody else does wood stick frame.”
The property is at the northeast corner of West Front and Maple Avenue, next door to the Red Bank Public Library. It received Zoning Board approvals in October 2021. At the time, Shamaev said he hoped to complete the project in a year.
RED BANK: CORNER CONDOS APPROVED
The four-story structure will have ten units, 600 square feet of commercial space and on-site parking.
Two buildings on the site that were allowed to fall into disrepair and go vacant by the previous owners were razed in late 2020. That owner received approvals for an eight-unit building on the site before selling the property to Shamaev.
Check out redbankgreen‘s extensive coverage of the property here.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
