Documentation of this credit can occur anytime between schematic design and 100% construction documents, as soon as the locations of your main entries are set.
Walking distance should be measured from a building entrance to the bus stop or rail station. This path must follow sidewalks and other walkable areas. Crossing highways, lawns or other private areas is not considered an acceptable part of pedestrian access.
Selecting a site with easy access to public transportation is the easiest way to earn this credit, so ideally this credit will be considered during site selection. Projects located in dense urban areas generally can qualify, whereas projects located in rural or suburban areas, where public transportation infrastructure is not as developed, may need to facilitate access to existing mass transit nearby (via an alternative compliance including shuttle service), which may in some cases be difficult or expensive.
If your building has high-efficiency fixtures, consider using Option 4 (some or all fixtures installed before 1993) even if your building was completed or plumbing system renovated after 1993. This is an effective way to determine whether you’re eligible to earn additional points under WEc2.
Projects using the stream channel protection option need to also implement strategies to reduce the quantity of stormwater runoff, where possible. Typical strategies could include reduced building footprint, reduced hardscape,
Instead of tracking recycled contentin everything, focus first on “big ticket” items, materials like concrete, structural steel, masonry products and gypsum board to see if you get enough value from them to earn the credit.
USGBC does not explicitly require you to set to the LEED boundary to match your entire scope of work, so you have some discretion in setting a project boundary that may impact achievement of this credit. However, it is a best practice to simply designate the LEED boundary so that it reflects your project scope,
At least eight of the ten required services must be operational at the time of project completion. For services that are nonexistent but proposed (up to two of the ten required services), the project team must demonstrate that these services will at least be in construction by the time the project is finished. This can be documented by signed lease agreements or a letter from the developer or owner stating the scheduled opening of the service.
