LEED Certification and Land Selection

We’ve stated that we want to be a LEED-certified community, so it’s important that we all understand what that means as far as land selection. To get LEED certification, there are certain things that are required, and certain things that earn points for the project. The more points, the higher (Silver, Gold or Platinum) certification the project can get. We have our eye on Platinum.

There’s a large document here that explains the whole point system in 161 pages of excruciating detail. Seriously though, it’s not that bad if you take it in little pieces, and the pieces we need to understand right now are all about Smart Location and Linkage. I’ll list them out and condense it for you. The first 6 items are required attributes of the property:

1. Smart Location can mean that the property is infill (most of the property around it has already been developed) OR that it is close to sufficient public transportation, OR that it is close to shopping and amenities OR that it can be demonstrated that residents would naturally drive fewer miles than the average for the region. When they say “close”, they mean ¼ to ½ mile, and there are specific definitions about how many and what kind of amenities there should be. The “Infill” option seems like the easiest one to meet in this area.
   
2. Proximity to Water and Waste Water Infrastructure means that the project should use existing sewer and water systems, or should extend sewer and water systems. My understanding is that this means no personal wells and no septic systems. However, building a community waste-water treatment system is probably fine.
   
3. Imperiled Species and Ecological Communities. Protect the habitat of any endangered plants or animals that are found on the property.
   
4. Wetland and Water Body Conservation. There are several options, all designed to avoid building in or otherwise damaging wetlands or bodies of water.
   
5. Agricultural Land Conservation.  This tries to avoid building on good farmland, but allows Smart Locations to override the restrictions. As an example, an infill property can be used regardless of how prime or unique the soil is.
   
6. Floodplain Avoidance.  In most instances, don’t build in the 100-year floodplain. For infill or previously-developed sites, building within the floodplain is permitted, but compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program is required.

After the above requirements are met, up to an additional 30 points can be earned for things like brownfield development, infill with higher density roads in the surrounding area, reduction of  dependency on automobiles through availability of public transit or bicycle networks, proximity to jobs and schools, protection of steep slopes, and conservation or restoration of natural habitat. Options for meeting one of the six requirements can also show up as a way to earn points. For example, a property might be infill, and close to transportation, and walkable to amenities. All of these attributes are ways to meet the Smart Location requirement, but they also earn points.

Of course feel free to read the whole document. The above summary covers about 40 pages of material, so there’s much more detail to be had.