Published Mar 05, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0day ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
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Construction at the site of the proposed Cedar Crescent Village project at Port Elgin’s main beach barely got underway six years after first being presented to residents. Now, the Town of Saugeen Shores has signalled a desire to terminate the lease with developers. Photo suppliedArticle content<\/p>\n
The Port Elgin Beach Preservers say they want their little patch of paradise back.<\/p>\n
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Saugeen Shores said on Monday that it was taking action against the proponents of the Cedar Crescent Village project at Port Elgin\u2019s main beach after developers failed to reach previously extended construction timeline targets.<\/p>\n
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The town and Ontario numbered company 2706913 Ontario Inc., which includes Port Elgin bar owner Pier Donnini, signed a 50-year-lease for the waterfront land in 2019.<\/p>\n
Prior to that, the space was a fixture of fond summer memories for generations and home to the former Port Elgin and North Shore Railway station building and miniature train. The area also featured mini-putt, a little beach shop and an ice cream spot, all operated for nearly three decades by Andy and Debbie Hess.<\/p>\n
When the Hess family couldn\u2019t reach a new lease with the town in 2018, they closed the business. Two years later, the town demolished the mini train station and paved the way for the $10 million Cedar Crescent Village (CCV) project that promised to turn the area into the town\u2019s waterfront focal point, complete with a restaurant and viewing deck, a market hall, a game space, and an ice cream shop.<\/p>\n
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The only sign of the proposed premier year-round waterfront development currently at the Harbour Street location is a construction fence, some backfill, and a collection of concrete pipes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a mess. It\u2019s just a mess,\u201d said Patricia Corrigan-Frank.<\/p>\n
Corrigan-Frank is the co-founder of the Port Elgin Beach Preservers, a group with more than 4,000 members on Facebook, who have spoken out against the CCV development since it was first presented to residents in 2019.<\/p>\n
The Port Elgin Beach Preservers and Corrigan-Frank argue that the town pushed out the old leaseholders from the area by offering unfavourable lease terms, and then entered into a 50-year lease with Donnini and local investors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were pretty stunned with what they were proposing at the time,\u201d Corrigan-Frank said.<\/p>\n
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Corrigan-Frank said the Port Elgin Beach Preservers aren\u2019t against development at Port Elgin\u2019s main beach. She said 90 per cent of the group\u2019s members would like to have a nice restaurant, market shops, and family-friendly entertainment available, if it\u2019s done correctly and with public input.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very much in support of the move to cancel this lease and start fresh,\u201d Corrigan-Frank said. \u201cWe\u2019re not out of the woods yet. I don\u2019t know how long or drawn out this legal thing is going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
After issuing a building permit to 2706913 Ontario Inc. in 2023, the town extended key project deadlines by 10 months in 2025. According to the town\u2019s CCV project website, the North Building of the proposed \u201cpremier year-round destination at Port Elgin Beach\u201d was expected to be completed by Feb. 2, 2026, with the project to be totally completed by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s clear the Cedar Crescent Village project isn\u2019t in the cards, but Corrigan-Frank hopes beachgoers will at least be able to park at the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing is going to get built or done this summer, but at the very least, level off the land, take down the fencing, remove the piping, and let people enjoy it for this summer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Saugeen Shores said in its statement Monday that although it recognizes residents have a long-standing interest in the status of the Port Elgin waterfront and the CCV project, the \u201cnext steps involve court intervention, the town is limited in its ability to comment, and no additional details can be provided at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attempts to reach Donnini for this story were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
At a Feb. 24, 2025, council meeting, Donnini blamed construction delays on the COVID-19 pandemic and a directive from the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority to move the development farther from the beach. He said the Ontario numbered company\u2019s investors have contributed $4 million to the project, and that a $10 million loan from Libro Credit Union has been secured.<\/p>\n
\u2013 with files from Frances Learment<\/p>\n
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