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Trades Training
USGBC
Excerpted from LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development
SLL Credit 3: Locations with reduced automobile dependence
Intent
To encourage development in locations shown to have multimodal transportation choices or otherwise reduced motor vehicle use, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and other adverse environmental and public health effects associated with motor vehicle use.
Requirements
Option 1. Transit-served location
Locate the project on a site with existing transit service such that at least 50% of dwelling units and nonresidential building entrances (inclusive of existing buildings) are within a 1/4-mile walk distance of bus or streetcar stops, or within a 1/2-mile walk distance of bus rapid transit stops, light or heavy rail stations, or ferry terminals, and the transit service at those stops in aggregate meets the minimums listed in Tables 1 and 2. Both weekday and weekend trip minimums must be met to earn points at a particular threshold.
Projects larger than 125 acres can meet the requirements by locating on a site with existing transit service such that at least 40% of dwelling units and nonresidential building entrances (inclusive of existing buildings) are within a 1/4-mile walk distance of bus or streetcar stops, or within a 1/2-mile walk distance of bus rapid transit stops, light or heavy rail stations, or ferry terminals, and the transit service at those stops in aggregate meets the minimums listed in Tables 1 and 2 (both weekday and weekend trip minimums must be met to earn points at a particular threshold), as long as the 40% complies with NPD Prerequisite 2 and any portion of the project beyond the 1/4-mile and/or 1/2-mile walk distances meets SLL Prerequisite 1, Option 3-compliant planned transit service.
Projects greater than 500 acres can meet the requirements by locating on a site with existing transit service such that at least 30% of dwelling units and nonresidential building entrances (inclusive of existing buildings) are within a 1/4-mile walk distance of bus or streetcar stops, or within a 1/2-mile walk distance of bus rapid transit stops, light or heavy rail stations, or ferry terminals, and the transit service at those stops in aggregate meets the minimums listed in Tables 1 and 2 (both weekday and weekend trip minimums must be met to earn points at a particular threshold), as long as the 30% complies with NPD Prerequisite 2 and any portion of the project beyond the 1/4-mile and/or 1/2-mile walk distances meets SLL Prerequisite 1, Option 3-compliant planned transit service.
For all projects, weekend daily trips must include service on both Saturday and Sunday. Commuter rail must serve more than one metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and/or the area surrounding the core of an MSA.
Weekday trips Weekend trips Points 60 40 1 76 50 2 100 65 3 132 85 4 180 130 5 246 150 6 320 200 7
Weekday trips Weekend trips Points 24 6 1 40 8 2 60 12 3
Projects served by two or more transit routes such that no one route provides more than 60% of the prescribed levels may earn 1 bonus point, up to the maximum 7 points.
Projects where existing transit service is temporarily rerouted outside the required distances for less than 2 years may meet the requirements if the local transit agency has committed to restoring the compliant routes with service at or above the prior level.
OR
Option 2. Metropolitan planning organization location with low VMT
Locate the project within a region served by a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and within a transportation analysis zone (TAZ) where either a) the current annual home-based vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita (if TAZ is 100% residential) or b) the annual nonhome-based VMT per employee (if TAZ is 100% non-residential) does not exceed 90% of the average of the equivalent metropolitan region value. The research must be derived from household or employment transportation surveys conducted by the MPO within ten years of the date of submission for LEED for Neighborhood Development certification. Additional credit may be awarded for increasing levels of performance, as indicated in Table 3. Mixed-use TAZs must use whichever TAZ VMT is greater, either residential per capita or nonresidential per employee.
Percentage of average regional VMT per capita Points 81–90% 1 71–80% 2 61–70% 3 51–60% 4 41–50% 5 31–40% 6 30 or less 7 VMT = vehicle miles traveled.
Points earned under Options 1 and 2 may not be combined.
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10 Comments
Existing Transit
Can someone please clarify, for infill projects under 125 acres with existing transit, does the project require access to multiple transit types? The credit language seems to request this.
"Project has have access to combination of bus, streetcar, rail and/or ferry
transit types."
Amanda, no, it's not necessary to have multiple types of transit. If you're referring to the title of Table 1, the wording does suggest multiple types, but it really means projects with any single type or combination of types.
Eliot
Multiple bus stops
Eliot is it correct that a bus that has multiple stops within 1/4 mile can on be counted once? Or rather once inbound and once outbound?
Martine, bus stops within 1/4 mile of any project origin point (a dwelling unit or non-residential building entrance) can qualify for trip counting regardless of the number or direction of bus routes serving those stops. As noted in the Reference Guide SLLc3 implementation section, "Each point at which a vehicle stops to receive or discharge passengers is considered a separate stop; this includes stops facing each other on opposite sides of a street."
Eliot
Thank you Eliot, I guess my question had to do with a 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 that was posted for LEED 2009. The question was: "A bus has multiple stops within 1/4 mile radius. Can I count each of those?" The response was: "No, as this doesn't increase service to the LEED project. (depending on project specifics, you could try to make a case, however.) I was wondering if that ruling applied to LEED ND.
Martine, if you check the appliability in the LEED Interpretations database it will tell you if it applies to ND. Without knowing the number you are referring to, it would be difficult for me to comment.
But I think you may be referring to an FAQ posted on LEEDuser, not a 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.
Martine, I'd have to know exactly what 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 you're referring to in order to judge its relevance to ND, but I'm not seeing any issued for SLLc3. If your question is whether one bus stopping at multiple qualifying stops can have all of those stops counted, yes that's correct for ND. I believe other LEED rating systems may not score transit that way because they only have a single origin point.
Eliot
Thank you Eliot and Tristan. You are right it is a FAQ. I took it out of the new LEED 2009: The Missing Manual page 15 and assume it was a 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. Sorry about the confusion. I believe that the last response from Eliot answers my question. Thank you.
Martine
Locations with Reduced Automobile Dependence leed-nd
To calculate the transit service from a station, do we need to calculate the sum of both inbound and outbound trains?
Thanks
Aria, each platform at a train station can be considered a separate transit stop, and the number of train trips at each platform, regardless of direction, can be summed for the total number of transit trips used to determine credit points. Note that it's important to confirm that pedestrians can reach both platforms within the maximum walk distance from dwellings and non-residential uses.
Eliot
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