A New York developer has kicked off a high-stakes fight on Singer Island, filing plans for a massive waterfront tower that would wipe out a cluster of low-rise buildings near the Blue Heron Boulevard bridge. The proposal, submitted to Riviera Beach staff on Feb. 1, 2026, brands the project “Singer Island Gateway” and calls for retail, a marina and roughly 300 residences at and around 2525 Lake Drive. Neighbors are already splitting into camps, with some eyeing new tax dollars and others warning the project could alter the island’s character and throw long shadows across the Intracoastal and nearby dive spots.
Plans on paper
In a rezoning narrative filed with the city, the applicant describes an IHC-PUD that would deliver 298 residential units, a mix of townhomes and multifamily, along with about 12,143 square feet of commercial space and a civic plaza at the north end of the property. The filing depicts a multi-level parking structure wrapped with townhouses, resident amenities that include a lap pool plus padel and pickleball courts, and a promise of public open space that exceeds code minimums. Those details appear in a rezoning narrative available on DocumentCloud and filed with the city.
Who’s behind the plan
The filings list The Continuum Company, led by CEO Ian Bruce Eichner, as the developer behind the proposal. Continuum, a New York-based firm with a growing South Florida portfolio, has posted renderings and technical reports on a dedicated project website, and residents can comb through the shadow, traffic and economic studies on 2525LakeDrive.com. Background on the firm itself is available on the Continuum Company site.
Neighbors push back
The debate started well before any formal hearings. At the March 4 City Council meeting, Riviera Beach resident Susan Melamud warned that the building’s shadowing and traffic impacts would be “irreversible,” and neighborhood threads on Nextdoor are already dissecting the tradeoff between new development and preserving local character. Stet News reported Melamud’s remarks and the early community reaction.
Blue Heron Bridge and the dive community
The property sits next to the Blue Heron Bridge and Phil Foster Park, a shore-accessible dive and snorkel site that underwater photographers and marine researchers treat as a kind of open-air lab. Divers Alert Network and local dive groups highlight the bridge’s international reputation, and the developer’s filing includes a pledge to build a “world-class marina” that “will accommodate and benefit the local scuba diving community.” The project documents include a sun-shadow study and other technical reports aimed at those concerns, and the filing, posted on DocumentCloud, is now on file with city staff.
What happens next
City staff are reviewing the application, and the project still has to clear the Planning & Zoning Board, the Riviera Beach CRA and the City Council before anything gets built, so public hearings and staff reports are still ahead. How the city squares the CRA’s stated push for denser, mixed-use development along Blue Heron Boulevard with the worries voiced by divers, environmental advocates and nearby residents will determine whether Singer Island Gateway moves on to formal votes later this year. Stet News notes the approvals the proposal will require and links to the plans now on file.
