Developer seeks Planning Commission feedback on 30‑foot pipeline easement waiver at Dancing Waters

Developers for Dancing Waters asked the Town of Saint John Planning Commission on Nov. 5 for informal feedback on pursuing a partial waiver of the town's pipeline setback so they can finish a cul‑de‑sac and develop high‑end duplex units.

A presenter for the applicant said the master plan for the neighborhood proposed the cul‑de‑sac years ago and that all utilities except the cul‑de‑sac were already in place. The applicant asked whether the commission would be amenable in concept to a 30‑foot setback measured from the physical pipeline instead of the 50‑foot setback shown in current town ordinances. "So the request would be a 30 foot setback from the actual physical pipeline," the presenter said.

The applicant described market constraints and layout tradeoffs: units are described in the presentation as priced at about $600,000 each (about $1.2 million per duplex) and targeted toward empty‑nester buyers; the developer argued shifting units to meet the larger setback would push buildings closer to a water edge and undermine the desired back‑patio orientation.

Commissioners asked whether the pipeline location is confirmed; staff said the survey work identifies the line and the applicant's engineer has proposed centering the easement and providing a 30‑foot setback from the physical line. Staff and commissioners also noted Bingo Lake floodplain crosses two of the proposed buildings as drawn; staff reminded the commission that the town ordinance allows houses in the floodplain provided they are built at least 2 feet above base flood elevation (BFE) and that owners obtain flood insurance.

Commissioners said they were not offended by the waiver concept and that, conceptually, they did not object — but they emphasized a formal waiver request would need the pipeline company's agreement, engineering sign-offs and any required primary‑plat review. The presentation was conceptual; no vote or waiver was granted.