[Talk-us] Odd road / odd structure

[Paul Johnson]

On Wed, May 25, 2016 at 8:55 AM, Steve Friedl <steve at unixwiz.net> wrote:
>
> The Irvine GIS guy told me that Paisley Place also servers as a utility
> easement, which may have impacted some of the design.  These are quite
> pretty little walkways, with a nice gate to enter, it’s just odd that it’s
> a street.
>

Huh?  The only thing I could see that could be remotely construed as a
through walkway is the concrete gutter, which would make a natural break at
the planter that for all practical purposes breaks up the street as a
traffic calming measure, and appears to have barely slowed down the Google
car, much less anyone on foot.


> But regarding the big water catchment surface:
>
>
>
> Ø  Depending on the cant and the surface, it could actually be some sort
> of French drain or infiltration pad designed as potentially an emergency
> helipad.  I, personally, would make no assumption as to what it was without
> at least cursory knowledge of the region's drainage and/or rescue tropes …
>
>
>
> I have some of that cursory knowledge, plus I actually hiked up there and
> checked it out myself – there’s no question that it’s there to collect
> water, drain it into the two cisterns to the southeast, and there’s a water
> tap a little farther to the southwest.
>
>
>
> What you can’t see from the satellite imagery is that it’s at the top of a
> hill, the only water it can possibly collect is rainwater.  It’s also clear
> that this isn’t being used any more, but back in the forties I’m certain it
> was a great place to water your horse.
>
>
>
> I think it would serve as a fine helipad, though these were constructed
> before helicopters were in widespread enough use to be considered for
> that.  I’m going to ask the local fire agency if they have records of using
> that spot for helo.
>

Very interesting edge case; I'd honestly be surprised based on aerial
imagery if the cisterns aren't still in use as at least an emergency water
supply, given that particular stretch of hills' propensity for fire.  It
has a dry climate, some plants that depend on fire for reproduction, and
eucalyptus, which the AU crowd can testify sets itself on fire for like, no
reason.
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