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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Option 1. Development footprint on previously developed land (1 point)
Locate 100% of the development footprint and the construction impact zone on previously developed land.Option 2. Undeveloped portion of project left undisturbed (1 point)
Depending on the density of the project, do not develop or disturb a portion of the site that has not been previously developed, exclusive of (1) any land preserved by codified law, (2) a prerequisite of LEED for Neighborhood Development or (3) exempt areas designated as nonbuildable in comprehensive land-use plans. Stipulate in covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) or other binding documents that the undisturbed area will be protected from development by a private or governmental agency for the purpose of long-term conservation. When determining the minimum area to be left undeveloped, mixed-use projects must use the lowest applicable density from Table 1 or use the weighted average methodology in NPD Credit Compact Development. Densities and minimum percentages are as follows:Table 1. Minimum undeveloped area, by project density
Residential density (DU/acre) |
Residential density |
Minimum area left undisturbed |
|
|---|---|---|---|
20% |
|||
> 13 and ≤ 18 |
> 32 and ≤ 45 |
≥ 0.5 and ≤1 |
15% |
> 18 |
> 45 |
> 1 |
10% |
- 40 feet (12 meters) beyond the building perimeter;
- 10 feet (3 meters) beyond surface walkways, patios, surface parking, and utilities less than 12 inches (30 centimeters) in diameter;
- 15 feet (4.5 meters) beyond street curbs and main utility branch trenches; and
- 25 feet (7.5 meters) beyond constructed areas with permeable surfaces (such as pervious paving areas, stormwater retention facilities, and playing fields) that require additional staging areas to limit compaction in the constructed zone.
For all projects
Survey the site to identify the following:- trees in good or excellent condition, as determined by an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) or local equivalent professional for projects outside the U.S.;
- any heritage or champion trees of special importance to the community because of their age, size, type, historical association, or horticultural value, as defined by a government forester;
- all trees larger than 6 inches (15 centimeters) in diameter at breast height (dbh, 4 feet 6 inches [1.4 meters] above ground); and
- any invasive plant species that affect trees present on the site, and whether those plants threaten the health of other trees to be preserved on the site, as determined by an ISA-certified arborist or local equivalent professional.
- all heritage or champion trees and trees whose dbh exceeds 50% of the state champion dbh for the species;
- a minimum of 75% of all noninvasive trees (including the above) larger than 18 inches (45 centimeters) dbh; and
- a minimum of 25% of all noninvasive trees (including the above) larger than 12 inches (30 centimeters) dbh if deciduous and 6 inches (15 centimeters) dbh if coniferous.
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
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.
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Option 1. Development footprint on previously developed land (1 point)
Locate 100% of the development footprint and the construction impact zone on previously developed land.Option 2. Undeveloped portion of project left undisturbed (1 point)
Depending on the density of the project, do not develop or disturb a portion of the site that has not been previously developed, exclusive of (1) any land preserved by codified law, (2) a prerequisite of LEED for Neighborhood Development or (3) exempt areas designated as nonbuildable in comprehensive land-use plans. Stipulate in covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) or other binding documents that the undisturbed area will be protected from development by a private or governmental agency for the purpose of long-term conservation. When determining the minimum area to be left undeveloped, mixed-use projects must use the lowest applicable density from Table 1 or use the weighted average methodology in NPD Credit Compact Development. Densities and minimum percentages are as follows:Table 1. Minimum undeveloped area, by project density
Residential density (DU/acre) |
Residential density |
Minimum area left undisturbed |
|
|---|---|---|---|
20% |
|||
> 13 and ≤ 18 |
> 32 and ≤ 45 |
≥ 0.5 and ≤1 |
15% |
> 18 |
> 45 |
> 1 |
10% |
- 40 feet (12 meters) beyond the building perimeter;
- 10 feet (3 meters) beyond surface walkways, patios, surface parking, and utilities less than 12 inches (30 centimeters) in diameter;
- 15 feet (4.5 meters) beyond street curbs and main utility branch trenches; and
- 25 feet (7.5 meters) beyond constructed areas with permeable surfaces (such as pervious paving areas, stormwater retention facilities, and playing fields) that require additional staging areas to limit compaction in the constructed zone.
For all projects
Survey the site to identify the following:- trees in good or excellent condition, as determined by an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) or local equivalent professional for projects outside the U.S.;
- any heritage or champion trees of special importance to the community because of their age, size, type, historical association, or horticultural value, as defined by a government forester;
- all trees larger than 6 inches (15 centimeters) in diameter at breast height (dbh, 4 feet 6 inches [1.4 meters] above ground); and
- any invasive plant species that affect trees present on the site, and whether those plants threaten the health of other trees to be preserved on the site, as determined by an ISA-certified arborist or local equivalent professional.
- all heritage or champion trees and trees whose dbh exceeds 50% of the state champion dbh for the species;
- a minimum of 75% of all noninvasive trees (including the above) larger than 18 inches (45 centimeters) dbh; and
- a minimum of 25% of all noninvasive trees (including the above) larger than 12 inches (30 centimeters) dbh if deciduous and 6 inches (15 centimeters) dbh if coniferous.
