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RED BANK: CONDO PROJECT STALLS, THEN STARTS – AGAIN

Rivermark 96-98 West Front Street

A photo of The Rivermark taken April 16.   (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)

By BRIAN DONOHUE

Construction on a riverfront condominium that was shut down by the borough in February appeared to resume Monday after the borough issued a notice last week stating the violations had been abated. 

Workers could be seen on the site for the first time since the project, billed as “the most luxurious building” in the area, was shut down in February for permitting issues.

The February shutdown was the latest in a series of delays for the Rivermark, a project at the corner of Maple Avenue and West Front Street next to the Red Bank Public Library, whose builder once predicted could be finished by autumn 2022.

A photo taken April 7, 2025 of the project.

Construction began in the spring of 2024, three years after the Red Bank Zoning Board approved the plan for 10 condominium units, 600 square feet of commercial space and onsite parking.

redbankgreen last updated the project last May, after construction activity on the concrete shell had halted about two months earlier.

Developer Samuel Schmaev told us then that work had paused briefly so he could make design changes to ensure the building at 96-98 West Front Street stands out when it’s done.

“This is going to be the most luxurious building in South Jersey, Central Jersey, I believe, on the shore,” he said.

Records subsequently obtained by redbankgreen through an open public records request show the borough had issued an order to terminate in February, 2025 for failing to protect the public right of way. The borough lifted the February order on March 18, 2025 finding the violations had been abated, records show.

There were signs of construction activity again over the summer, including scaffolding and a shroud of black safety netting over the project. 

Then, there appeared to be another pause.

A rendering of the planned Rivermark project submitted with plans to the Borough of Red Bank. 

Records show that on February 17, Red Bank Construction Code Official Anthony Niebert issued a stop construction order that read “you must stop all construction until the full permit application is submitted.” That order was lifted and violations terminated on April 23, according to a notification of abatement. 

For now, the structure stands shrouded under a debris shield fabric that resembles a giant black veil. On Monday afternoon, there were signs of life again as workers in hard hats worked on the top floors. Several calls to Schmaev from a reporter seeking an update on the project went unreturned. 

redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.

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