NC 2009 SSc1: Site Selection

  • NC_Schools_CS_SSc1_Type1_Site Selection Diagram
  • If you already have a site plan, this credit is cut-and-dried

    Typically, projects have already determined their site plan by the time the team begins considering LEED certification; if this is the case, you either have the credit or you don’t.

    If your project location has not yet been determined, you can use the credit requirements as an environmental screening process when choosing your site. If the site is determined but the site plan isn’t set, consider whether the placement of buildings, roads, and other hardscapes on the site will tip you to compliance or non-compliance.

    Previously developed or not?

    This credit is intended to protect sensitive land as defined in the credit language. It also encourages projects to use previously developed land, by allowing specific exemptions for the criteria on water bodies and...

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43 Comments

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Jeff Chapman EcoDesigner Kirksey
Jan 26 2012
Guest
80 Thumbs Up

Land Banking as a mitigation strategy for Wetlands

I have a client who wants to mitigate a small wetland on his site by Land Banking. For those of you unfamilar, this means buying an area of a large wetland to have the right to destroy a small wetland in the middle of a site that is prime for development. They will be protecting more wetland than they will destroy, however they will definitely be buildinging within 100' of the wetland because they will be buiding ON the wetland.

I was wondering if this was considered similar to the Parks credit where you could build on a park as long as you provided an equal amount of park.

I told him I didn't think that would work, but thought I would ask the user group as well.

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Emily Catacchio Sustainability Specialist, Wight and Company Jan 26 2012 Moderator

I would say, since destroying ANY wetland is not a sustainable practice, this will not fly with USGBC.

The park method is different since a park is not a natural habitat and a new one can just be built. Though I suppose you could argue that you can "rebuild" a wetland in another area, it's really not the same.  

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Susann Geithner Director of Sustainability, HSB Architects & Engineers Jan 30 2012 Guest Expert 2087 Thumbs Up

I very much agree with Emily. Looking at the LEED 2012 draft, where construction in wetlands are completely prohibited except minimal impact structures. Also this is proposed as prerequisite. LT p1 http://bit.ly/ytYNFL
So even though this not official language in the current version and I also don't know of any CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide in that regards, I would be surprised if the USGBC rules in your favor based on that.

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Jeff Chapman EcoDesigner, Kirksey Jan 30 2012 Guest 80 Thumbs Up

I totally agree, thanks for your input.

I had never heard of land-banking before and it seems to be an emerging concept as a way of mitigating wetlands on site in terms of the development world and something LEED should address possibly in the next iteration.

If communities are legitimately creating more wetlands by pooling them in specialized, permanently undeveloped areas it may have a larger benefit for the community. But at the same time, wetlands are where they are for a reason so I can see benefit to requiring them to remain where they are created.

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Susann Geithner Director of Sustainability HSB Architects & Engineers
Nov 15 2011
Guest Expert
2087 Thumbs Up

Alternative Compliance path for international projects

The USGBC has published a draft for additional guidance for international projects. That includes alternative compliance paths and even additional LEED online forms for international projects. This credit is included in the guideline. Find more here: http://www.leeduser.com/topic/international-projects-alternative-complia...

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser BuildingGreen, Inc.
Nov 08 2011
Moderator

definition of "previously developed"

USGBC has more specifically defined "previously developedPreviously developed sites are those altered by paving, construction, and/or land use that would typically have required regulatory permitting to have been initiated (alterations may exist now or in the past). Previously developed land includes a platted lot on which a building was constructed if the lot is no more than 1 acre; previous development on lots larger than 1 acre is defined as the development footprint and land alterations associated with the footprint. Land that is not previously developed and altered landscapes resulting from current or historical clearing or filling, agricultural or forestry use, or preserved natural area use are considered undeveloped land. The date of previous development permit issuance constitutes the date of previous development, but permit issuance in itself does not constitute previous development."" in its Nov. 2011 addenda. This is very helpful in terms of clarifying that some land alteration and human hands, like agriculture, is NOT considered development. Here is the definition:

Previously developed sites are those altered by paving, construction, and/or land use that would typically have required regulatory permitting to have been initiated (alterations may exist now or in the past). Previously developed land includes a platted lot on which a building was constructed if the lot is no more than 1 acre; previous development on lots larger than 1 acre is defined as the development footprintThe development footprint is the area affected by development or by project site activity. Hardscape, access roads, parking lots, nonbuilding facilities, and the building itself are all included in the development footprint. and land alterations associated with the footprint. Land that is not previously developed and altered landscapes resulting from current or historical clearing or filling, agricultural or forestry use, or preserved natural area use are considered undeveloped land. The date of previous development permit issuance constitutes the date of previous development, but permit issuance in itself does not constitute previous development."

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Mark Meaders Sustainable Design Project Manager HDR Architecture, Inc.
Aug 29 2011
Member
310 Thumbs Up

LEED boundary question

I am working on a project that is being completed in 2 phases.
Phase 1 is completed and a certified LEED project. The Phase 1 LEED Project Area included an area that was going to be a water feature, but, the water feature was not completed in Phase 1 (it was completed as vegetated open space).
Phase 2 is a LEED registered project and it has completed design. The project plans to complete the water feature that was in the Phase 1 LEED Project Area.
My question is do I include the area for the water feature in the Phase 2 LEED Project Area, or since it was already included in Phase 1, I exclude it? This project is not a campus project.

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Susan Walter Sr Project Architect, Wilmot/Sanz Aug 29 2011 Guest 1359 Thumbs Up

Does not completing the water feature in Phase 1 impact any credits for Phase 1? I would recommend that you modify your credit spreadsheets for Phase 1. Your LEED boundaries can overlap and even build upon each other. However, you want to make sure that Phase 1 is accurate before trying to gain credit for the work in Phase 2. Any reviewer will want to know why your are taking credit for something they would consider already competed unless you modify Phase 1 forms.

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Mark Meaders Sustainable Design Project Manager, HDR Architecture, Inc. Aug 29 2011 Member 310 Thumbs Up

The water feature itself was NOT included in our submittal for Phase 1. The land and open space was included in Phase 1 for the LEED Project Area and SSc5.2. Phase 1 was accurate based on the project itself.
That being said, since Phase 1 did benefit from the open area where the water feature is going in Phase 2, how is that accounted for in our Phase 2 submittal?

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Brooks Critchfield Principal Open Field Designs, Inc.
Jul 08 2011
Member
189 Thumbs Up

A Learning Center to Support Farming on Prime Farm Land

We have a project in a rural area sited on an existing farm. The project is very small in scale and will have a very small development footprintThe development footprint is the area affected by development or by project site activity. Hardscape, access roads, parking lots, nonbuilding facilities, and the building itself are all included in the development footprint. to preserve the land and to make as little impact as possible. The project is a learning center for the owner's adjacent farming operation. 96%+ of the existing farm will be farmed as usual, while 3-4% will be converted to the building and the gravel access drive to the building.
Considering the scale and purpose of the project, is compliance with SS Credit 1 at all possible? When considering the intent of the credit (such as not building an office park on a former potato field), I believe we are in compliance--but if I consider the strict language of the credit (do NOT build on prime farmland no matter what) then I tend to believe the project can not achieve this credit. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks very much for your input.

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Susann Geithner Director of Sustainability, HSB Architects & Engineers Jul 08 2011 Guest Expert 2087 Thumbs Up

Unfortunately you do not meet the criteria of the credit even thought I understand your argument. You might want to submit an CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide in order to get an exception for your case. But one can also argue you could still not use actual farm land and do your project. Also make sure you are in compliance with the MPRs and the 2% for building footprintBuilding footprint is the area on a project site used by the building structure, defined by the perimeter of the building plan. Parking lots, parking garages, landscapes, and other nonbuilding facilities are not included in the building footprint. vs. site. It sound like you will be very close to the cutoff. Best of luck with your project.

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Brooks Critchfield Principal, Open Field Designs, Inc. Jul 08 2011 Member 189 Thumbs Up

Hi Susann--Thanks very much--I get your logic. Regarding your comment about MPR #7, the gross floor areaGross floor area (based on ASHRAE definition) is the sum of the floor areas of the spaces within the building, including basements, mezzanine and intermediate‐floored tiers, and penthouses wi th headroom height of 7.5 ft (2.2 meters) or greater. Measurements m ust be taken from the exterior 39 faces of exterior walls OR from the centerline of walls separating buildings, OR (for LEED CI certifying spaces) from the centerline of walls separating spaces. Excludes non‐en closed (or non‐enclosable) roofed‐over areas such as exterior covered walkways, porches, terraces or steps, roof overhangs, and similar features. Excludes air shafts, pipe trenches, and chimneys. Excludes floor area dedicated to the parking and circulation of motor vehicles. ( Note that while excluded features may not be part of the gross floor area, and therefore technically not a part of the LEED project building, they may still be required to be a part of the overall LEED project and subject to MPRs, prerequisites, and credits.) of our project building is more than 2% of the gross land area within the project LEED boundary. Since we are impacting only a small percentage of the owner's property and literally not touching much of it, we will be drawing a reasonable LEED boundary that only includes that land impacted, and lands that are associated with/supports normal building operations. Thanks again!

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Jonathan Weiss
Apr 26 2011
Member
684 Thumbs Up

Habitat?

I am working on a project that is the habitat for a state listed species, and the project team has an elaborate mitigation plan to protect the species and nesting areas - post development there will be large areas of naturally landscaped habitat restored and usable, so the mitigation is to protect the species during construction - does anyone have experience with this as an alternate method of compliance, or is this just a "no."?

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Jun 28 2011 Moderator

Jonathan, this seems like an unusual situation—not one that I have experience with. My educated guess would be that this kind of path would not work for SSc1, particularly when you consider that aspects of what you are describing sound a lot like something you could get credit for under SSc5.1.

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Jose Salinas Mr Poch & Associates
Apr 20 2011
Member
264 Thumbs Up

Multiple Buildings

Sorry to add this comment on this place but this is the only one slighty related. (perhaps it could be a good idea to have an "General" area to cover the project information and othe general issues.
My question is: Is there (now) any way of certifying multiple buildings on a site under a single certification as it was possible with version 2.2? Apparently the multiple building guide and the registration forms do not give that possibility so far.

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Apr 23 2011 Moderator

Jose, we do have a place to post non-credit-specific LEED certification questions, and there is a forum for campus issues. There is a LEED 2009 campus application guide, which could be of some help, but it doesn't allow exactly what you are looking for.

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Kelly Wieczorek Bay Design Associates Architects
Mar 15 2011
Guest
77 Thumbs Up

Parkland

I am working on a large scale addition to a recreation center which will more than double the size of the existing facility. Technically the land is zoned as a public park/recreation facility, but as a recreation center, it was always intended to have structures built on site. Can I still get this credit?

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Mar 16 2011 Moderator

Kelly, the credit language states that park authority projects are exempt from the parkland requirement for this credit. Is this your situation, by any chance?

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Kelly Wieczorek Bay Design Associates Architects Mar 16 2011 Guest 77 Thumbs Up

I don't think so, but it's worth double checking. This is more of a municipal park (recA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources. center, soccer fields, concessions, softball, etc). But I am fairly confident that I can explain the situation in the narrative to earn the credit.

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Mar 28 2011 Moderator

It sounds to me like you're the "park authority" in this case. I think you could describe in the narrative and have a good chance of compliance.

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Emmanuel Pauwels
Feb 15 2011
Member
364 Thumbs Up

International Projects

Our project is an international project so we can not use the US references as far as floods or agricultural land is concerned.
Our project is located in an urban area on a previously developedPreviously developed sites are those altered by paving, construction, and/or land use that would typically have required regulatory permitting to have been initiated (alterations may exist now or in the past). Previously developed land includes a platted lot on which a building was constructed if the lot is no more than 1 acre; previous development on lots larger than 1 acre is defined as the development footprint and land alterations associated with the footprint. Land that is not previously developed and altered landscapes resulting from current or historical clearing or filling, agricultural or forestry use, or preserved natural area use are considered undeveloped land. The date of previous development permit issuance constitutes the date of previous development, but permit issuance in itself does not constitute previous development." land with no history of floods. Is it sufficient to confirm the conditions in the template or is it necessary to upload additional information or calculations?

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Daniel LeBlanc Senior Sustainability Manager, YR&G Mar 16 2011 Guest Expert 87 Thumbs Up

It's probably fine to stick to the template because of the urban location (assumed not to be prime farmland, park or habitat) and the site is "previously developedPreviously developed sites are those altered by paving, construction, and/or land use that would typically have required regulatory permitting to have been initiated (alterations may exist now or in the past). Previously developed land includes a platted lot on which a building was constructed if the lot is no more than 1 acre; previous development on lots larger than 1 acre is defined as the development footprint and land alterations associated with the footprint. Land that is not previously developed and altered landscapes resulting from current or historical clearing or filling, agricultural or forestry use, or preserved natural area use are considered undeveloped land. The date of previous development permit issuance constitutes the date of previous development, but permit issuance in itself does not constitute previous development."," which exempts the site from the flood and water body requirements. However, you may want to demonstrate that the site is 100 feet from wetlands.

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Lauren Ford Project Architect Cooper Carry
Dec 20 2010
Member
187 Thumbs Up

Work within 100' of wetland

In addition to Peter's question above, we may need to have a small area of "grasspave" and a segmented retaining wall just shy of the 100' setback to provide fire department access to the building. There will not be any paved, impervious areas. The grasspave area will be vegetated with native plantings and assist in filtering site water before it enters the wetlands. Do you think this grasspave access might be interpreted as a "road" and the wall be interpreted as "hardscape"?

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Dec 28 2010 Moderator

To what extent does the wall constitute hardscape, e.g. concrete? Does "segmented" mean precast?

To what extent is there an engineered bed under the Grasspave?

I would have some caution about this situation, but it doesn't seem inconceivable that you could comply.

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Peter Doo Doo Consulting LLC
Dec 13 2010
Member
1248 Thumbs Up

Modifying grade within 100' of wetland

We have a local 25' wetland buffer requirement. Can one modify the grade (disturb the site) within the LEED required 100' wetland buffer if no "building, hardscape, road or parking area" are built within that buffer?

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Dec 20 2010 Moderator

I would say you can, yes, based on the credit language. However, I think the spirit of what LEED is going for here would suggest you should keep this as limited as possible in every way, including distance from the wetland.

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John Klein Sr. Architect HDR Engineering
Dec 06 2010
Member
120 Thumbs Up

Can you pursue this credit for a major renovation?

We have a project that is a major renovation, so the site is already selected and previously developedPreviously developed sites are those altered by paving, construction, and/or land use that would typically have required regulatory permitting to have been initiated (alterations may exist now or in the past). Previously developed land includes a platted lot on which a building was constructed if the lot is no more than 1 acre; previous development on lots larger than 1 acre is defined as the development footprint and land alterations associated with the footprint. Land that is not previously developed and altered landscapes resulting from current or historical clearing or filling, agricultural or forestry use, or preserved natural area use are considered undeveloped land. The date of previous development permit issuance constitutes the date of previous development, but permit issuance in itself does not constitute previous development.". If it meets the credit criteria, can we pursue this credit for certification? The reference guide doesn't really speak to major renovation on this.

Thanks!

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Avik Roy Mr Dec 06 2010 Guest 22 Thumbs Up

Yes you can pursue this credit for certification. But its is safe from only those "previously undeveloped" criteria. You should check the other criteria as well.

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Shannon Deeb Consultant Mac Company
Sep 29 2010
Member
223 Thumbs Up

Development w/in 100 ft of Wetlands on previously developed site

If a project is on a previously developedPreviously developed sites are those altered by paving, construction, and/or land use that would typically have required regulatory permitting to have been initiated (alterations may exist now or in the past). Previously developed land includes a platted lot on which a building was constructed if the lot is no more than 1 acre; previous development on lots larger than 1 acre is defined as the development footprint and land alterations associated with the footprint. Land that is not previously developed and altered landscapes resulting from current or historical clearing or filling, agricultural or forestry use, or preserved natural area use are considered undeveloped land. The date of previous development permit issuance constitutes the date of previous development, but permit issuance in itself does not constitute previous development." site but has a small freshwater wetland (like a small trickling creek) running through the center of the site, can we still achieve this credit? I've been told that part of the wetland has already been piped-in in some areas.

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Sep 29 2010 Moderator

A previously developedPreviously developed sites are those altered by paving, construction, and/or land use that would typically have required regulatory permitting to have been initiated (alterations may exist now or in the past). Previously developed land includes a platted lot on which a building was constructed if the lot is no more than 1 acre; previous development on lots larger than 1 acre is defined as the development footprint and land alterations associated with the footprint. Land that is not previously developed and altered landscapes resulting from current or historical clearing or filling, agricultural or forestry use, or preserved natural area use are considered undeveloped land. The date of previous development permit issuance constitutes the date of previous development, but permit issuance in itself does not constitute previous development." site is not subject to the credit requirement of no building within 50 feet of a water body. You'd still have to stay 100 feet from any wetlands and met the other credit requirements as well.

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Eric JS
Sep 13 2010
Guest
442 Thumbs Up

100 year flood for project outside US?

Hi all,

How to determine that the project site (outside US : Singapore Project) is not lower than 5 feet above the 100 year flood elevation.

Where in the FEMA website can I find the 100 year flood elevation info?

Thank you and best regards,

Erika

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Sep 16 2010 Moderator

LEEDuser has a tipsheet on determining floodplain classification with FEMA data that may be worth consulting.

However, this will only have data for U.S. projects. For non-U.S. projects, this is a challenging point to document. I don't have any particular tips on doing this, sorry!

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Jean Marais b.i.g. Bechtold INGENIEURGESELLSCHAFT MBH Sep 28 2010 Member 2215 Thumbs Up

“Definition/Description
The flood having a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. This is the regulatory standard also referred to as the "100-year flood." The base flood is the national standard used by the NFIP and all Federal agencies for the purposes of requiring the purchase of flood insurance and regulating new development. Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) are typically shown on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).”
You could use the flood-plane level of the worst recorded flood on records. This will be worse than the FEMA statistical 100-year flood.

If you don't have at least 100 years worth of flood level records you'll probably have to approach a statistician to extrapolate something half plausible. I’ve read that this can be done for rain events for rainfall rates (Natural resources engineering By Ernest W. Tollner ) (which includes a statistical plausibility test), but since my knowledge terminates at around this point I’m not going to point you to a suitable equation (or set of many equations). Look in google books for Natural resources engineering By Ernest W. Tollner. It may have something in here that answers your question.

Another good read is the sample case
http://www.fema.gov/library/file?type=publishedFile&file=dfm_dfft.pdf&fi...
which suggests using hydrological engineering methods to calculate in effect the maximum run-off rates and quantities.

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Jean Marais b.i.g. Bechtold INGENIEURGESELLSCHAFT MBH Sep 28 2010 Member 2215 Thumbs Up
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Jorng-ren Chern Enertek Sustainable Design & Technology
Aug 26 2010
Member
229 Thumbs Up

100-year floodplain

Dear all,
I have a question regarding the definition on the elevation of a previously undeveloped land.

As stated in the reference guide, "Previously undeveloped land whose elevation is lower than 5 feet above the elevation of the 100-year flood as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "

The elevation for the previously undeveloped land is considering the ground zero elevation? or the building's first floor elevation?? I currently have a project that the ground zero elevation is around 4'6 above the 100-year flood plain, and the first floor elevation more than 5' above the 100-year flood plain. I need some help to clarify the definition.

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Aug 29 2010 Moderator

The elevation would be considered "at grade," i.e. the site elevation, not the building. (Since the credit is about "site selection," not building design.)

In this case, I think you could meet the requirement by adding 6 inches of fill.

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Sep 01 2010 Moderator

Hold on, I need to retract part of what I said.

If the site is previously undeveloped, I don't think you can just add fill to meet the requirement. You may want to do that anyway to get above the floodplain, but I don't think you could earn SSc1. Sorry for my confusion.

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Jorng-ren Chern Enertek Sustainable Design & Technology Sep 01 2010 Member 229 Thumbs Up

For this project, it's nearly impossible to add fill at this stage, I'd probably just give up this credit, and focusing on earning more points from other credits. Thanks!

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Julie Mitchell-Craig
Jul 28 2010
Member
35 Thumbs Up

SS CRedit 1: Site Selection

Are there any exceptions to the Prime Farmland requiremnts? We're building a new building on a site within city limits where an existing building was built in 1954. The site is considered prime farmland by the USDA but is there any way around that when it's been previously developedPreviously developed sites are those altered by paving, construction, and/or land use that would typically have required regulatory permitting to have been initiated (alterations may exist now or in the past). Previously developed land includes a platted lot on which a building was constructed if the lot is no more than 1 acre; previous development on lots larger than 1 acre is defined as the development footprint and land alterations associated with the footprint. Land that is not previously developed and altered landscapes resulting from current or historical clearing or filling, agricultural or forestry use, or preserved natural area use are considered undeveloped land. The date of previous development permit issuance constitutes the date of previous development, but permit issuance in itself does not constitute previous development."?
thanks,

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Jul 29 2010 Moderator

With the floodplain and wetland requirements there are exceptions for previously developedPreviously developed sites are those altered by paving, construction, and/or land use that would typically have required regulatory permitting to have been initiated (alterations may exist now or in the past). Previously developed land includes a platted lot on which a building was constructed if the lot is no more than 1 acre; previous development on lots larger than 1 acre is defined as the development footprint and land alterations associated with the footprint. Land that is not previously developed and altered landscapes resulting from current or historical clearing or filling, agricultural or forestry use, or preserved natural area use are considered undeveloped land. The date of previous development permit issuance constitutes the date of previous development, but permit issuance in itself does not constitute previous development." sites, but there is not an exception for farmland in the credit language. I don't see a way the project could earn SSc1.

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Gayle Borst President / CEO, Stewardship, Inc. Sep 02 2010 Member 51 Thumbs Up

We have had a couple of sites that were shown as prime farmland by the USDA's Web Soil Survey but were surrounded by development. I contacted my local USDA representative and asked for an evaluation for possible exemption. In both cases we were granted an exemption due to the low probability that the land could be usable for agricultural purposes. You may need to make arrangements for your local USDA representative to visit the site, but often times they can make a determination without a visit.
That said, it is sort of sad that just because a tract of prime soils is small and surrounded by development that we should "give up hope" of it being farmed.

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Summer Gorder Owner ecoREAL
Jul 12 2010
Member
281 Thumbs Up

Within 100ft of Wetland

If a project includes a wetland withitn the LEED boundary, but does not impact the site with any hardscapes within the 100ft limit, can the project apply for this credit?

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Allison Beer McKenzie Architect, Director of Sustainability, SHP Leading Design Jul 12 2010 Guest Expert 2087 Thumbs Up

Summer- absolutely! They are primarily concerned with creating that 100 ft buffer, so as long as you do not develop within 100 ft (and meet the other credit requirements of course!) you can definitely achieve the credit.

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