www.EcoPlaceAtBirmingham.com

There is an external website for the Eco Fair Park project at www.EcoPlaceAtBirmingham.com.

Look for new posts in the new year.

Sustainable Sites Credit 5.1

Site Development

Protect or Restore Habitat

Intent

Conserve existing natural areas and restore damaged areas to provide habitat and promote biodiversity.

Requirements

On greenfield sites, limit all site disturbance to 40 feet beyond the building perimeter; 10 feet beyond surface walkways, patios, surface parking and utilities less than 12 inches in diameter; 15 feet beyond primary roadway curbs and main utility branch trenches; and 25 feet beyond constructed areas with permeable surfaces (such as pervious paving areas, stormwater detention facilitities and playing fields) tat require additional stafing areas in order to limit compaction in the constructed area.

Greenfield sites are those that are not previously developed or graded and remain in a natural state. Previously developed sites are those that previously contained buildingsings, roadways, parking lots, or were graded or altered by direct human activities.

OR

On previously developed or graded sites, restore or protect a minimum of 50% of the site area (excluding the building footprint) with native or adapted vegetation. Native/adapted plants are plants indigenous to a locality or cultivars of native plants that are adapted to the local climate and are not considered invasive species or noxious weeds.

Projects earning SS Credit 2 and using vegetated roof surfaces may apply the vegetated roof surface to this calculation (if the plants meet the definition of native/adapted), in which case the requirement is 20% of the total site are (including building footprint). This option is intended for urban sites with little or no building setback (i.e. zero-lot-line).

Visit our website www.kwhdesign.net

Sustainable Sites Credit 4.4

Alternative Transportation
Parking Capacity

Intent

Reduce pollution and land development impacts from single occupancy vehicle use.

Requirements

Option 1 - Non-Residential

Size parking capacity to not exceed minimum local zoning requirements, AND, provide preferred parking for carpools or vanpools for 5% of the total provided parking spaces.

OR

Option 2 - Non-Residential

For projects that provide parking for less than 5% of FTE building occupants:

Provide preferred parking for carpools or vanpools, marked as such, for 5% of total provided parking spaces.

OR

Option 3 - Residential

Size parking capacity to not exceed minimum local zoning requirements, AND, provide infrastructure and support programs to facilitate shared vehicle usage such as carpool drop-off areas, designated parking for vanpools, or car-share services, ride boards, and shuttle services to mass transit.

OR 

Option 4 - ALL

Provide no new parking.

"Preferred parking" refers to the parking spots that are closest to the main entrance of the project (exclusive of space designated for handicapped) or parking passes provided at a discounted price.

When parking minimums are not defined by relevant local zoning requirements, or when there are no local zoning requirements, either:

A) Meet the requirements of Portland, Oregon, Zoning Code: Title 33, Chapter 33.266 (Parking and Loading)

OR, if this standard is not appropriate for the building type,

B) Install 25% less parking than the building type's average listed in the Institute of Transportation Engineers' Parking Generation study, 3rd Edition.

Potential Technologies & Strategies

Minimize parking lot/garage size. Consider sharing parking facilities with adjacent buildings. Consider alternatives that will limit the use of single occupancy vehicles.

For us, only option 3 could work. This suits the project and provides motivation to expand ride sharing amenities for residents. We envision a carpool, vanpool porte cochere where people can get in and out of vehicles under cover of a roof with an indoor waiting area with views to the drop-off lane and a ride sharing board. Perhaps the innovative gesture here is to encourage the integration of the able-bodied residents with those requiring assistance and get people who are not disabled to use ride sharing too. The ride sharing could include scheduling DART pick-ups for the disabled and dedicated zipcar spots and incentives for other residents to share rides. A privacy decision will need to be made to include or exclude neighbors in a zip car spot.

Sustainable Sites Credit 4.3

Alternative Transportation
Low-Emission & Fuel-Efficient VehiclesThat's not a yellow coiled power line, it's compressed natural gas (CNG)!

The images above are of an appliance that compresses gas from a regular plumbed gas line that you would use to cook with or run a gas furnace, and fills the tank of your vehicle. This appliance requires venting or it can be placed outdoors. Vandalism would be a concern for us if mounted outdoors.

Intent:

Reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use.

Requirements:

Option 1: Provide low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles for 3% of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) occupants AND provide preferred parking for these vehicles.

OR

Option 2: Provide preferred parking for low emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles for 5% of the total vehicle parking capacity of the site.

OR

Option 3: Install alternative-fuel refueling stations for 3% of the total vehicle parking capacity of the site (liquid or gaseous fueling facilities must be separately ventilated or located outdoors).

For the purposes of this credit, low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles are defined as vehicles that are either classified as Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) by the California Air Resources Board or have achieved a minimum green score of 40 on the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) annual vehicle rating guide.

"Preferred parking" refers to the parking spots that are closest to the main entrance of the project (exclusive of spaces designated for handicapped) or parking passes provided at a discounted price.

Potential Technologies & Strategies

Provide transportation amenities such as alternative fuel refueling stations. Consider sharing the costs and benefits of refueling stations with neighbors.

Sustainable Sites Credit 4.2

Alternative Transportation

Bicycle Storage & Changing Rooms

1 POINT - Bicycle Racks for 15% or more of residents

We can pick up another point simply by providing covered, secure bicycle storage for 15% or more of the residents.

This is the text from the USGBC:

Intent

Reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use.

Requirements

Form commercial or institutional buildings, provide secure bicycle racks and/or storage (within 200 yards of a building entrance) for 5% or more of all building users (measured at peak periods), AND, provide shower and chaning facilities in the building, or within 200 yards of a building entrance, for 0.5% of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) occupants.

OR

For residential buildings provide covered storage facilities for securing 15% or more of building occupants in lieu of changing/shower facilities.

Too bad there aren't any bikes in the image above taken at the Timberglen LEED certified public library. The library is new... but then again, maybe there are avid bike riders that patronize that library.

It may be easier to think of the quotas like this. For commercial projects you should provide 5 spots on a bike rack for every 100 people. And for shower facilities, you need 1 shower for every 10 of those 5 spots that you provide. For residential projects it's a minimum of 15 bikes spot per 100 residents.

Sustainable Sites Credit 4.1

Alternative Transportation

Public Transportation Access

LEED NC 2.2

Sustainable Sites - credit 4.1 - Alternative Transportation - Public Transportation Access

We meet the criteria for (2) points under this public transportation access credit. the first point is locating the project within 1/2 mile of a planned and funded light rail station. Dallas' Green Line station at JB Jackson Transit Center has platforms under construction 0.24 miles from the project site, exceeding the 0.50 mile requirement. The photograph below shows the platforms at the new MLK Green Line station scheduled to open September, 2009.

1 Point - Fixed Rail within 1/2 Mile

The following text is the USGBC requirement for SS Credit 4.1 Alternative Transportation - Public Transportation Access:

Public Transportation Access

Intent

Reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use

Requirements

Locate pollution project within 1/2 mile of an existing - or planned and funded - commuter rail, light rail or subway station.

OR

Locate project within 1/4 mile of one or more stops for two or more public or campus bus lines usable by building occupants.

Potential Technologies & Strategies

Perform a transportation survey of the future building occupants to identify transportation needs. Site the building near mass transit.

Exemplary Performance

Projects may be awarded one innovation point for Exemplary performance in alternative transportation, SS credit 4, by instituting a comprehensive transportation management plan that demonstrates a quantifiable reduction in personal automobile use through the implementation of multiple alternative options.

The guiding goal is to quadruple ridership of mass transit. The minimum requirements are:

Locate the project within 1/2 mile of at least two existing commuter rail, light rail or subway lines, OR locate project within 1/4 mile of at least two or more stops for four or more public or campus bus lines usable by the building occupants;

AND

Frequency of service must be such that at least 200 transit rides per day are available in total at these stops. A combination of rail and bus is allowable.

1 Point - Exemplary Performance

Sustainable Sites Credit 3

Brownfield Redevelopment

Fortunately our site does not qualify for credit under this provision of LEED NC 2.2 (The LEED rating system for New Construction & Major Renovation is often abbreviated as LEED NC and '2.2' is the current edition that all new projects will fall under until the new edition is released in late 2009). It is however a good incentive to develop Brownfield sites.

There is an ASTM standard for documenting the contamination of Brownfield sites, ASTM E1903-97 Phase II Environmental Site Assessment. If the site in question has already been designated as a brownfield site by local, state or federal government agencies then an ASTM documentation of the site will not be necessary.