Council advances Cedar Crescent Village project

 

The Cedar Crescent Village (CCV) project has passed another milestone towards its completion.  On Monday evening, Council gave notice to declare the public lands for the project as surplus in order to register the approved Land Lease.  The final By-law(s) is set to be approved at the October 11th meeting.

According to staff, “This is a necessary step for the Town along with the project’s proponent to register the approved Land Lease.  While the Town has given the public notice several times at Council meetings, the municipality needed to do this formally after finalizing the Site Works and Servicing Agreement to support registration of the Lease on title.”

“The move does not change the land’s status as publicly owned, nor does it put the land up for sale,” said Vice-Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt.

“This is another example of our staff being thorough and professional,” said CAO Kara Van Myall. “We realize this is a high-profile project and we are mindful of the community’s need to understand the process.  Our Development Services, Legislative Services and Corporate Services teams as well as legal counsel have given this the scrutiny it deserves, and we are moving forward as required to satisfy all legal requirements.”

The concept of the proposed CCV development is to provide a facility on Port Elgin’s beach for tourism-and recreation-related businesses to serve the community.  While the project is a private venture operating on leased public land, the Town retains control of:

•             The overall quality and character of the project
•             The integration of the project within the Waterfront Master Plan
•             The impact of the project on parking and traffic
•             The project’s sustainability
•             Enforcement of any by-laws and/or federal and provincial laws

The project is another way the Town is furthering its Waterfront Master Plan, a document created with extensive community engagement to maximize the use and enjoyment of the Town’s waterfront properties for both residents and visitors.