The Port Elgin Beach Preservers are eager to reclaim their beloved piece of paradise.
Saugeen Shores announced on Monday that it would be taking action against the developers behind the Cedar Crescent Village project at Port Elgin’s main beach due to missed construction deadlines that had been previously extended.
The town and the Ontario numbered company 2706913 Ontario Inc., which includes Pier Donnini, owner of a local bar, signed a 50-year lease for the waterfront land in 2019.
Before this, the area was known for being a spot filled with happy summer memories for many generations and housed the old Port Elgin and North Shore Railway station along with a miniature train. It also had mini-golf, a beach shop, and an ice cream place run by Andy and Debbie Hess for nearly thirty years.
<p When the Hess family couldn’t secure a new lease with the town in 2018, they shut down their business. Two years later, the town tore down the mini train station and prepared for the $10 million Cedar Crescent Village (CCV) project aimed at transforming this location into a central hub by adding a restaurant, viewing deck, market hall, game area, and an ice cream shop.
The only indication of this much-anticipated waterfront development at Harbour Street is currently just a construction fence, some backfill material, and stacks of concrete pipes.
“It’s a mess. It’s just a mess,” said Patricia Corrigan-Frank.
Corrigan-Frank is one of the co-founders of the Port Elgin Beach Preservers group which has over 4,000 members on Facebook who have expressed concerns about CCV since it was first introduced to residents in 2019.
The Port Elgin Beach Preservers and Corrigan-Frank claim that the town forced out previous leaseholders by offering poor lease terms before signing a long-term agreement with Donnini and local investors.
“We were pretty stunned with what they were proposing at the time,” Corrigan-Frank said.
Corrigan-Frank mentioned that while they’re not against development on Port Elgin’s main beach, around 90 percent of their group members would love to see nice restaurants, market shops, and family-friendly entertainment options-if done properly with community input involved.
“We’re very much in support of moving to cancel this lease and starting fresh,” Corrigan-Frank stated. “We’re not out of the woods yet. I don’t know how long or drawn out this legal thing is going to be.”
This year in 2023 after granting a building permit to 2706913 Ontario Inc., Saugeen Shores gave key project deadlines an extra ten months until 2025. According to details from the town’s CCV project website, completion of North Building-a part of what was planned as “the premier year-round destination at Port Elgin Beach”-is expected by February 2nd, 2026 with full project completion anticipated by year-end.
Cedar Crescent Village doesn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon; however, Corrigan-Frank hopes visitors will still have access to park at least during summer months.
“Nothing is going to get built or done this summer but at least level off the land, take down fencing, remove piping, and let people enjoy it for this summer,” she said.
Saugeen Shores stated in its announcement Monday that while they understand residents have been interested in what’s happening regarding both the Port Elgin waterfront and the CCV project, “next steps involve court intervention; the town can’t comment further right now nor provide more information.”
Attempts to reach Donnini for comments on this story went unanswered.
At a council meeting held on February 24th, 2025, Donnini pointed towards construction delays stemming from COVID-19 pandemic-related issues and orders from Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority requiring them to move development farther away from shore. He claimed investors associated with his company have already put $4 million into funding efforts while securing another $10 million loan through Libro Credit Union.
– report contributed by Frances Learment
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