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LEED v4
Core and Shell
Sustainable Sites

Site development - protect or restore habitat

LEED CREDIT

CS-v4 SSc2: Site development - protect or restore habitat 1-2 points

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SPECIAL REPORT

LEEDuser expert

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Trista Brown

LEED AP O+M, BD+C, Fitwel Ambassador

WSP USA
Project Director

SPECIAL REPORT

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LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.

Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Preserve and protect from all development and construction activity 40% of the greenfield area on the site (if such areas exist).

AND

Option 1. on-site restoration (2 points except healthcare, 1 point healthcare)

Using native or adapted vegetation, restore 30% (including the building footprint) of all portions of the site identified as previously disturbed. Projects that achieve a density of 1.5 floor-area ratio may include vegetated roof surfaces in this calculation if the plants are native or adapted, provide habitat, and promote biodiversity.

Restore all disturbed or compacted soils that will be revegetated within the project’s development footprint to meet the following requirements2 :

  • Soils (imported and in situ) must be reused for functions comparable to their original function.
  • Imported topsoils or soil blends designed to serve as topsoil may not include the following:
    • soils defined regionally by the Natural Resources Conservation Service web soil survey (or local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.) as prime farmland, unique farmland, or farmland of statewide or local importance; or
    • soils from other greenfield sites, unless those soils are a byproduct of a construction process.
  • Restored soil must meet the criteria of reference soils in categories 1–3 and meet the criteria of either category 4 or 5:
  1. organic matter;
  2. compaction;
  3. infiltration rates;
  4. soil biological function; and
  5. soil chemical characteristics.

Project teams may exclude vegetated landscape areas that are constructed to accommodate rainwater infiltration from the vegetation and soils requirements, provided all such rainwater infiltration areas are treated consistently with SS Credit Rainwater Management.

OR

Option 2. financial support (1 point)

Provide financial support equivalent to at least $0.40 per square foot (US$4 per square meter) for the total site area (including the building footprint).

Financial support must be provided to a nationally or locally recognized land trust or conservation organization within the same EPA Level III ecoregion or the project’s state (or within 100 miles of the project [160 kilometers] for projects outside the U.S.). For U.S. projects, the land trust must be accredited by the Land Trust Alliance.

2 Components adapted from the Sustainable Sites Initiative: Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009, Credit 7.2: Restore Soils Disturbed During Construction

Pilot Alternative Compliance Path Available

This credit has a pilot ACP available in the LEED Pilot Credit Library. See Site development - protect or restore habitat - alternative compliance path for more information.

See all forum discussions about this credit »

What does it cost?

Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

Frequently asked questions

We’re pursing the onsite option. Do I have to provide the scientific names for the plants on our site?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

For a previously developed site, how is existing soil restored?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Is the offsite financial support a one-time fee or is it ongoing?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Addenda

10/14/2019 – Updated: 10/11/2019
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Edit the title and first sentence of Step 6 to read as follows:

Step 6. Determine Anticipated Ratio of Building Gross Floor Area (GFA) to Previously Disturbed Site Area
Determine the density of the project and surrounding areas by estimating the projected size of the building gross floor area (GFA) and comparing it with the site area.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
4/1/2015 – Updated: 4/1/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In BD+C, add the following text to the end of the section. In EBOM, add a new bullet point:
"Select plants that provide habitat and promote biodiversity. When specifying adapted vegetation, choose cultivars of native vegetation that are not considered invasive plants or noxious weeds, and that grow reliably well in the project’s locality with minimal maintenance, winter protection, pest protection, irrigation, and fertilization."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise Figure 1:
In the key, replace "Building footprint (non-vegetated roof), to be excluded from calculations" with “Building footprint (non-vegetated roof), not restored with native or adapted species”

In the key, replace "Non-vegetated, pedestrian oriented hardscape & non-native vegetation areas, to be excluded from calculations” with “Non-vegetated, pedestrian oriented hardscape, not restored with native or adapted species”

Top call-out should read: “Yellow Twig Dogwood and Azalea”; Bottom call-out should read: “Red Twig Dogwood, Amelanchier, and Hydrangea”
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise the greenfield definition to read:
"greenfield area that has not been graded, compacted, cleared, or disturbed and that supports (or could support) open space, habitat, or natural hydrology."

Delete "previously developed" and its definition.

Add the term "previously disturbed":
"previously disturbed areas that have been graded, compacted, cleared, previously developed, or disturbed in any way. These are areas that do not qualify as 'greenfield.'"
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
Option 1. On-Site Restoration. The first sentence should read:
"Using native or adapted vegetation, restore 30% (including the building footprint) of all portions of the site identified as previously disturbed."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Form Update
Description of change:
Under Option 1 (native or adapted vegetation fields, Upload: Site plan), replaced the term “previously developed” with “previously disturbed.”
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Option 1. On-Site Restoration. The first sentence should read:
"Using native or adapted vegetation, restore 30% (including the building footprint) of all portions of the site identified as previously disturbed."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
10/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Replace the definition of "native vegetation" with the following:
"a species that originates in, and is characteristic of, a particular region and ecosystem without direct or indirect human actions. Native species have evolved together with other species within the geography, hydrology, and climate of that region."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Documentation toolkit

The motherlode of cheat sheets

LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

LEEDuser expert

headshot

Trista Brown

LEED AP O+M, BD+C, Fitwel Ambassador

WSP USA
Project Director

Get the inside scoop

Our editors have written a detailed analysis of nearly every LEED credit, and LEEDuser premium members get full access. We’ll tell you whether the credit is easy to accomplish or better left alone, and we provide insider tips on how to document it successfully.

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Preserve and protect from all development and construction activity 40% of the greenfield area on the site (if such areas exist).

AND

Option 1. on-site restoration (2 points except healthcare, 1 point healthcare)

Using native or adapted vegetation, restore 30% (including the building footprint) of all portions of the site identified as previously disturbed. Projects that achieve a density of 1.5 floor-area ratio may include vegetated roof surfaces in this calculation if the plants are native or adapted, provide habitat, and promote biodiversity.

Restore all disturbed or compacted soils that will be revegetated within the project’s development footprint to meet the following requirements2 :

  • Soils (imported and in situ) must be reused for functions comparable to their original function.
  • Imported topsoils or soil blends designed to serve as topsoil may not include the following:
    • soils defined regionally by the Natural Resources Conservation Service web soil survey (or local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.) as prime farmland, unique farmland, or farmland of statewide or local importance; or
    • soils from other greenfield sites, unless those soils are a byproduct of a construction process.
  • Restored soil must meet the criteria of reference soils in categories 1–3 and meet the criteria of either category 4 or 5:
  1. organic matter;
  2. compaction;
  3. infiltration rates;
  4. soil biological function; and
  5. soil chemical characteristics.

Project teams may exclude vegetated landscape areas that are constructed to accommodate rainwater infiltration from the vegetation and soils requirements, provided all such rainwater infiltration areas are treated consistently with SS Credit Rainwater Management.

OR

Option 2. financial support (1 point)

Provide financial support equivalent to at least $0.40 per square foot (US$4 per square meter) for the total site area (including the building footprint).

Financial support must be provided to a nationally or locally recognized land trust or conservation organization within the same EPA Level III ecoregion or the project’s state (or within 100 miles of the project [160 kilometers] for projects outside the U.S.). For U.S. projects, the land trust must be accredited by the Land Trust Alliance.

2 Components adapted from the Sustainable Sites Initiative: Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009, Credit 7.2: Restore Soils Disturbed During Construction

Pilot Alternative Compliance Path Available

This credit has a pilot ACP available in the LEED Pilot Credit Library. See Site development - protect or restore habitat - alternative compliance path for more information.

Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:

  • Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
  • Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
  • Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
  • Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
  • Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
  • Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.

We’re pursing the onsite option. Do I have to provide the scientific names for the plants on our site?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

For a previously developed site, how is existing soil restored?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Is the offsite financial support a one-time fee or is it ongoing?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)
10/14/2019 – Updated: 10/11/2019
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Edit the title and first sentence of Step 6 to read as follows:

Step 6. Determine Anticipated Ratio of Building Gross Floor Area (GFA) to Previously Disturbed Site Area
Determine the density of the project and surrounding areas by estimating the projected size of the building gross floor area (GFA) and comparing it with the site area.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
4/1/2015 – Updated: 4/1/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In BD+C, add the following text to the end of the section. In EBOM, add a new bullet point:
"Select plants that provide habitat and promote biodiversity. When specifying adapted vegetation, choose cultivars of native vegetation that are not considered invasive plants or noxious weeds, and that grow reliably well in the project’s locality with minimal maintenance, winter protection, pest protection, irrigation, and fertilization."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise Figure 1:
In the key, replace "Building footprint (non-vegetated roof), to be excluded from calculations" with “Building footprint (non-vegetated roof), not restored with native or adapted species”

In the key, replace "Non-vegetated, pedestrian oriented hardscape & non-native vegetation areas, to be excluded from calculations” with “Non-vegetated, pedestrian oriented hardscape, not restored with native or adapted species”

Top call-out should read: “Yellow Twig Dogwood and Azalea”; Bottom call-out should read: “Red Twig Dogwood, Amelanchier, and Hydrangea”
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise the greenfield definition to read:
"greenfield area that has not been graded, compacted, cleared, or disturbed and that supports (or could support) open space, habitat, or natural hydrology."

Delete "previously developed" and its definition.

Add the term "previously disturbed":
"previously disturbed areas that have been graded, compacted, cleared, previously developed, or disturbed in any way. These are areas that do not qualify as 'greenfield.'"
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
Option 1. On-Site Restoration. The first sentence should read:
"Using native or adapted vegetation, restore 30% (including the building footprint) of all portions of the site identified as previously disturbed."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Form Update
Description of change:
Under Option 1 (native or adapted vegetation fields, Upload: Site plan), replaced the term “previously developed” with “previously disturbed.”
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Option 1. On-Site Restoration. The first sentence should read:
"Using native or adapted vegetation, restore 30% (including the building footprint) of all portions of the site identified as previously disturbed."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
10/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Replace the definition of "native vegetation" with the following:
"a species that originates in, and is characteristic of, a particular region and ecosystem without direct or indirect human actions. Native species have evolved together with other species within the geography, hydrology, and climate of that region."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes

LEEDuser expert

headshot

Trista Brown

LEED AP O+M, BD+C, Fitwel Ambassador

WSP USA
Project Director

See all LEEDuser forum discussions about this credit » Subscribe to new discussions about CS-v4 SSc2