Now that's a thrilling driving experience!
A reader tipped me off to the violently undulating parking lot at Shoppes at Wyndham Village - a shiny-new development dedicated less than a year ago.
This mess reminds us that it's not just tree-huggers who have issues with how site plans are imposed on wetlands. Engineers need to reach some manner of negotiation with pre-existing conditions as well. Thumb your nose at those conditions and you get exactly what you see above.
Back on November 23, 2008 I noted that Carstensen Construction's forfeiture of $46,000 to avoid a federal lawsuit in its destruction of 2.6 acres of wetlands to accommodate the development's dismal strip-mall site plan seemed pretty cost effective. I guess I was wrong about that - what's the going rate for asphalt nowadays?
Somewhere beneath the cracked, heaving impermeable surface of the Shoppes' epic parking lot, the former precipitation- and melt-absorbing landscape you see below is inexorably imposing its will.
Poor site plans are expensive.
Ok, so I find that pretty funny.
Posted by: Dave Reid | February 13, 2009 at 02:04 PM
Perhaps Carstensen will market the parking lot as a thrill ride and sell tickets!
Posted by: Zach W. | February 13, 2009 at 06:34 PM
"D'OH!"
Posted by: Fred Keller | February 13, 2009 at 07:00 PM
A sea of asphalt... complete with the waves and all.
Posted by: Scott Thinnes | February 13, 2009 at 09:52 PM
Is it possible that this has nothing to do with wetlands and asphalt?
Could this be an optical illusion caused by the camera angle?
Is the parking lot actually level, and the parking lines simply painted by some drunk?
Enquiring Franklin bloggers want to know...
Posted by: Fred Keller | February 14, 2009 at 03:15 PM
Then again, this would make a great skateboard park!
Posted by: Fred Keller | February 14, 2009 at 03:18 PM
I may drive through with a handheld video camera just to show the hops you get on this surface. GREAT for skateboards; not so cool for the family van.
Posted by: John Michlig | February 15, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Maybe you've been underestimating Carstensen all along, and he has shown himself here to be in touch with some of the finer aspects of modern traffic calming theory and practices used in more intelligently developed suburbs??!!
Or not.
Posted by: JCG | February 15, 2009 at 09:54 PM
It would be supremely awesome to see a time-lapse of this.
Posted by: JCG | February 15, 2009 at 09:57 PM
And maybe the cracking is meant as a revolutionary technique in breathable pavement design, allowing the native wetlands to continue receiving the sunlight, water, and nutrients they would otherwise need to thrive.
And perhaps the dips and dives are designed as mini "future wetlands" to catch storm runoff.
Damn, the more I think about this, the more I think you just plain jumped the gun in casting aspersions here, Michlig.
Posted by: JCG | February 15, 2009 at 10:05 PM
Yes, I may have spoken too soon. Perhaps this pliable surface is the wave (or RIPPLE) of the future ...
Posted by: John Michlig | February 16, 2009 at 08:29 AM
WOW!, so much great information.This is indeed very useful information. Many thanks..
Posted by: newport driving school | February 21, 2009 at 04:52 AM