Rating System

LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: Schools, LEED BD+C: Schools, LEED ID+C: Commercial Interiors, LEED ID+C: Commercial Interiors, LEED BD+C: Core and Shell, LEED BD+C: Core and Shell

Rating System Version

v2 - LEED 2.0, v2 - LEED 2.2, v2 - LEED 2.2, v3 - LEED 2009, v2 - Schools 2007, v3 - LEED 2009, v2 - LEED 2.0, v3 - LEED 2009, v2 - LEED 2.0, v3 - LEED 2009

Inquiry

Our project is a 94,334 square foot research facility located on a university research campus. Most building users arrive in the morning around 8 AM and leave around 5 PM. The building is connected by a new lobby to an existing building, with the new building occupying land that was previously parking for the original building. Although new parking was constructed, it does not exceed the original number of spaces (pre-construction =327 spaces / post-construction parking for both buildings = 309 spaces). We believe we have greatly exceeded the first half of the credit intent for SS4.4 by providing no net increase in parking spaces. This parking arrangement is within University guidelines for parking requirements, which has jurisdiction on the site. The University has a carpool policy which grants carpool applicants reduced rates on their parking passes for surface lots, several free days of parking a month in University structured garage parking, and inclusion in a Guaranteed Ride Home program. Due to extreme parking limitations it does not, however, provide dedicated reserved parking for carpool participants. Participants may park in any available spot allowed by their original parking permit. This policy is in effect because the University has observed that the majority of reserved carpool spaces sit empty, and the Parking System managers feel this is unacceptable since parking on a campus that has over 70,000 users is a very delicate and politically charged issue. Nevertheless, the school is very much interested in pursuing LEED on this and other projects. The school is willing to provide preferred dedicated carpool spaces for 5% of the building occupants, provided that the signage for each indicates that such reservation expires at 10 AM each weekday. The Parking System managers feel that this satisfies the intent of the credit while making full use of parking resources. Does this approach satisfy the credit intent of credit SS4.4?