Hi,
When calculating buildable land area for the density calculations, should roadway medians or parking lots be included or excluded? A particular project is adjacent to boulevards with narrow strips of pavement sandwiching wide, grassy medians. Are these interior medians considered buildable, even if development is very unlikely?
Also, the extensive parking lots on site include a significant amount of pavement designated for vehicular traffic. Are these travelways, located entirely within parking areas, considered public rights-of-way?
For greater context, this project is unlikely to earn this credit unless these areas are excluded from the density calculations. My inclination is that it would be fair to exclude medians, but excluding parking area would violate the intent of the credit.
Thank you for your commentary!
emily reese moody
Sustainability Director, Certifications & ComplianceJacobs
LEEDuser Expert
454 thumbs up
December 26, 2017 - 5:01 pm
Hi Adam,
The guide defines "buildable land" as being "the portion of the site where construction can occur, including land voluntarily set aside and not constructed on. When used in density calculations, buildable land excludes public rights-of-way and land excluded from development by codified law."
Given that definition, it sounds like the area you're explaining as the roadway medians is part of the public right-of-way. A project would not be able to build on that land. The parking lots, however, I would probably consider to be buildable, as a project could exist in those areas. The only exceptions would be as noted in the definition above, if the areas are excluded by code. Are the travelways named like a street is named? That may be justification for it being a right-of-way. If not, and they're just circulation within a larger lot, then they're likely buildable.
Adam Yarnell
Sustainability ConsultantSteven Winter Associates
12 thumbs up
January 2, 2018 - 10:40 am
Hi Emily,
Happy New Year! Your explanation sounds very reasonable. The travelways are not named, so I will follow your guidance and include them in the "buildable land" calculation.
Thank you for your assistance!