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Credit language
Requirements
Design and build the project to achieve all of the following:
- a. 90% of new buildings have a functional entry onto the circulation network or other public space, such as a park or plaza, but not a parking lot. Whether opening to the circulation network or other public space, the functional entry must be connected to a sidewalk or equivalent provision for walking. If the public space is a square, park, or plaza, it must be at least 50 feet (15 meters) deep, measured at a point perpendicular to each entry.
- At least 15% of the block length of the existing and new circulation networks within and bordering the project has a minimum building-height-to-street-centerline ratio of 1:1.5 (i.e., a minimum of 1 foot [300 millimeters] of building height for every 1.5 feet [450 millimeters] of width from street centerline to building façade). Alleys may be omitted from the calculations.
- Projects that border a part of the circulation network must meet only their proportional share of the height-to-width ratio (i.e., only on the project side of the circulation network).
- Building height is measured to eaves or, for a flat-roof structure, to the rooftop. For buildings with multiple heights or widths, use average heights or widths weighted by each portion’s share of the total height or width.
- Continuous sidewalks or equivalent all-weather routes for walking are provided along both sides of 90% of the circulation network block length within the project, including the project side of circulation network bordering the project. Bicycle- and pedestrian-only paths meet this requirement. New sidewalks must be at least 8 feet (2.5 meters) wide on retail or mixed-use blocks and at least 4 feet (1.2 meters) wide on all other blocks.
- No more than 20% of the block length of the circulation network within the project is faced directly by garage and service bay openings. Alleys may be omitted from the calculations.
Portions of projects containing historic buildings or contributing buildings in a designated
historic district subject to review by a local historic preservation entity are exempt from (2), (3), and (4) if approval for compliance is not granted.
Portions of projects containing historic buildings or contributing buildings in historic districts listed in or eligible for listing in a state provincial, or regional register, or the National Register of Historic Places that are subject to review by a state historic preservation office or the National Park Service (or local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.) are exempt from (2), (3), and (4) if approval for compliance is not granted.
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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.
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Addenda
7/2/2018 – Updated: 7/3/2018
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change: Update the Block Length Calculations to read as follows:
Total Project Street Frontage = 350ft
Total Frontage with Minimum Ratio = 300ft
Frontage Achieving Minimum Ratio = 85%
Internationally Applicable: No
7/2/2018 – Updated: 7/3/2018
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change: Delete second bullet, "For the nonresidential and mixed-use setback from sidewalks requirements (c), the distance of the setback must be measured from the property line."
Internationally Applicable: No
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