SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ – After years of delays, warnings, and unmet deadlines, Seaside Heights officials have scrapped a long-promised redevelopment deal for a 10-story mixed-use tower once touted as the centerpiece of the Boulevard’s revival.
The borough council has no more patience for embattled Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore’s false promises and lack of ability to get the project financed and running. The project was an inside political job from day one.
According to the Asbury Park Press, “SSH Boulevard LLC includes Dan Matarese, owner of Danco General Contracting Inc. in Marlboro; Zach Rich, director of concrete promotion and sales for Silvi Group and a Republican who is a Hunterdon County commissioner; lawyer Douglas Steinhardt, a partner at the law firm of Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli Tipton & Taylor and former chairman of the New Jersey State Republican Committee; and Joanne Gilmore, a paralegal and local consultant who is the wife of Ocean County GOP Chairman and Seaside Heights native George R. Gilmore.”
The borough council voted last week to terminate its agreement with SSH Boulevard LLC, a developer tied to the long-vacant “steel structure” property between Webster and Hamilton avenues. Joanne Gilmore, the wife of convicted federal felon, Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore.
Gilmore was convicted on federal tax charges and sentenced to one year in prison. A pardon by President Donald J. Trump spared him prison time, but the conviction remains on his public record.
The decision ends a troubled effort to replace the rusting remains of a failed nightclub project with luxury condos, restaurants, and retail—an ambitious vision that never broke ground despite years of approvals and assurances.
Officials cited chronic inaction and possible financing troubles among their reasons for pulling the plug, saying the developer repeatedly missed milestones and ignored formal warnings.
Project tied to wife of convicted political figure
Public records and redevelopment filings reviewed by local media show that early investors in SSH Boulevard LLC included Joanne Gilmore, the wife of Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore, who was convicted in 2019 of federal tax-related charges before later receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump.
Joanne Gilmore has acted as a ‘front man’ for many of Gilmore’s business dealings since his conviction for failing to pay over $1,000,000 in payroll taxes owed to the IRS, which were collected from his employees at his now defunct law firm, Gilmore and Monahan.
Although the company’s ownership was later consolidated under contractor Daniel Matarese of Danco Construction, documents previously listed Joanne Gilmore and other political associates among the project’s early stakeholders.
Borough officials did not cite those connections in their decision, but concerns over financial viability grew as deadlines slipped and work never began.
The plan had called for 77 condominium units above 8,500 square feet of restaurant and lounge space, plus ground-level retail along the Boulevard. The design, approved in 2023, was meant to anchor a wave of redevelopment projects aiming to reposition Seaside Heights as a year-round destination beyond its famous boardwalk.
Years of warnings go unheeded
According to the borough’s resolution, officials first warned SSH Boulevard in early 2023 that it risked losing its redeveloper status if it did not finalize purchase and sale agreements. Those documents were eventually signed in May 2023, but the town continued to document long periods of inactivity and repeated extensions.
By February 2024, officials again threatened to revoke the designation after construction deadlines lapsed. The company responded with new schedules that were never met, blaming state-level delays for missed permits. When no tangible work followed, Seaside Heights finally rescinded the agreement and canceled the pending property transfer.
A costly setback for Boulevard renewal
The decision marks a major setback for the borough’s plan to transform the Boulevard corridor into a mixed-use district anchored by new residential and commercial projects. Nearby developments—such as the Coastal Edge complex on the former Karma nightclub site—have moved forward, but the stalled “steel structure” parcel remains empty.
Officials said the borough will now seek a new developer to take over the site, with hopes of finding a partner capable of delivering on the long-delayed vision for the area.
