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Site selection makes all the difference
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An all-around good idea
Facilitating access to public transportation not only brings environmental benefits in the form of reduced greenhouse gas emissions and fewer cars on the road, but it can also reduce commuting costs for building occupants and help attract new hires and retain employees.
Options for larger projects
Larger-scale projects may want to consider working with local transit authorities to bring public transportation access near the project site if none already exists. You may not need to ask for...
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12 Comments
Daycare Center - Bike Racks on Lot Boundry
My Bicycle Parking Racks are located on the Lot Boundry. On the otherside of the fence, through the always open gates is the public side walk. How should I (why should I) proove/plan "dedicated bike lanes in two directions". This came back as lacking the "site plan showing"...from the reviewers. There is a 20 m walk way to the main entrance from the racks.
Please help.
Answers over at
http://www.leeduser.com/credit/NC-2009/SSc4.1
Exemplary Performance
According to page 46 the LEED reference guide, it states the following: (FOR SCHOOLS - If a school bus system is being counted as 1 of the required bus lines to meet the requirements of Option 2, exemp perf can be achieved by locating the project with "1/2" mi of at least 1 or more stops for 2 or more public bus lines.)
Considering that the standard credit is limited to 1/4 mi this seems too good to be true, but the LEED online template does not acknowledge this option. Anyone have any insight if the above is a typo by USBGC or if this is a valid?
It could be an error, but since it's not listed in any addenda/ errata, you'll probably want to submit a question via the LEEDOnline "Feedback" link at the top of the v3 page once you are logged into LEEDOnline.
I just received feedback on this same question. The 1/2 mile stated in the guide is apparently correct, and they are working on updating the form. I was advised to delay submission until the form is working properly, or to note this in the "Special Circumstances" if there is not time to wait.
Just an update, we went ahead and submitted with the 1/2 mile exemplary approach and it was approved on the 10/28/2011. However we were warned that for future versions this may be changed. I suspect someone messed up and wrote 1/2 mile in the guide instead of 1/4 and very few people actually pursued it.
Regardless, as of now it appears to still be a valid (and sneaky) way to achieve the credit and gain an exemplary point. Just be sure to include a narrative explaining this approach so the review team is aware of it.
Bike Paths
This credit requires "dedicated walking or biking lanes to the transit lines that extend from the school building at least to the end of the school property in 2 or more directions without any barriers (e.g., fences) on school property". If our campus is small with basically one road in and out, would 1 path be acceptable that leads out to the main road where the transit lines are located?
Denise,
I've had a similar situation approved before. Probably the most important thing is to provide the context to the review team as to why your solution makes sense given the specific situation of your project and how it meets the overall intent of providing paths leading off campus in two different directions.
How can I prove option 3, while building still not constructed yet, so I don't know who are the students and where they are live?
In planning for the construction of the school were there any studies or surveys to determine the location of potential students?
Yes, but all these studies are tentative, and after occupancy the situation may be changed. I cannot decide who will attend the school.
In some cases public or government schools are be planned to serve the population of a particular geographic area and there are policies that influence where students will attend school. In other cases a school may enroll students from a wider area based on test scores or other selection criteria.
You'll need to decide how confident you (and the reviewers) will be that you can anticipate where students are likely to live. If don't you think there are enough reasons to expect 80% of students to come from within the "attendance boundaryThe attendance boundary is used by school districts to determine which students attend what school based on where they live.," then Option 3 may not be apply to your situation.
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