Powerlink is located at 1020 Goderich Street in Port Elgin, the former Hong Kong Mandarin Restaurant.

Hub Staff

Port Elgin will soon be home to the first live/work business and residential development in Saugeen Shores.

"In a lot of urban communities now live/work is a real trend," said Randy Bird, Executive Business Partner with Powerlink who has joined builder and President Andrew Hill in the project.

"If people want to have an apartment and an office in the same building, especially with people coming from out of town and locating their business here, that's an option that's available to them," he said.

Located at 1020 Goderich Street in Port Elgin, the former Hong Kong Mandarin restaurant, the business units offer rentals by the day, week or month as well as longer term rentals and an option to buy.

"What we've realized is there's a lot of people coming to town that want an office for two weeks," said Bird. "So they want a private space where they can work but then they also want to have a board room that they can have meetings in," he said.

Office spaces will range from virtual to 8,000 sq. ft. "If someone is running a business from home but they don't want to use their home address, this becomes their address and then when they have meetings, they can use the board rooms," said Bird.

Office spaces on the first floor range from 150 to 372 sq. ft. while the second floor offers units up to 777 sq. ft.

Then the "crowning jewel," as Bird called it, is the 8,000 sq. ft on the top floor.

"So that's available for sale for 1.89 million, or if someone wants to sign a 20 year lease," said Bird, adding that whoever buys or leases that space has first rights to brand the building.

The commercial space offers shared kitchen facilities, a lounge area, central reception and after hours buzz in systems, bathroom and shower facilities and board rooms that can be turned into larger classrooms.

"We're aiming at an April 1, 2021 launch," said Bird, adding that the living quarters, which are for sale only, are expected to be available a year after that. 

"There's going to be 18 apartments, ranging in size from 1,200 sq. ft. to 2,020 sq. ft.," said Bird. "And those will be multi level, two story with a loft bedroom," he said.

"They all have balconies, they will have one spot in underground parking and then one spot outside depending on which unit you are buying," he said, adding that storage units were also available.

With the current demand for housing as well as office space in Saugeen Shores, Bird said he sees this as "the perfect product in the perfect environment and possibly at the perfect time."