What is considered an intersection within a parking lot of a Big Box Store shopping centre. There are a number of commuting roads intersecting between stores and there are many aisles of parking as well. Is each intersection with an aisle of parking considered an intersection? I would suggest that this likely does not meet the intent of the credit. However, would the intersection of the main commuting roads between stores be considered an intersection? This seems to meet the intent of the credit as it is providing residents with access to different uses. Do the roads need to be named?
Please let me know if you have any advice on how to document connectivity within an adjacent shopping centre.
Tim
Eliot Allen
LEED AP-ND, PrincipalCriterion Planners
LEEDuser Expert
303 thumbs up
September 10, 2018 - 11:52 am
Tim, the definition of 'connectivity' specifies intersections of the 'circulation network,' and that definition excludes parking lots and driveways, and any travel way that is not permanently accessible to the public, i.e. not a dedicated public right-of-way. Since most shopping center parking areas and connecting travel ways are on private property, it's generally not possible to demonstrate that those connecting travel ways are permanently open to the public. There are infrequent cases, however, where a local government and shopping center developer have agreed to dedicate certain travel ways as public rights-of-way, and intersections of those would be eligible for the connectivity calculation. For the situation you're describing it comes down to whether you can demonstrate that the connecting travel ways are legally permanently open to the public. Otherwise their intersections can't count toward connectivity.
Eliot