Does 100% previously disturbed area (or 100% greenfield) qualify for this credit?

On a recent project, the reviewers determined it was 100% greenfield and therefore 40% of it had to be protected.  That was impossible due to the requirements of the owner and municipality for recontouring of the site. 

Another recent project was 100% previously disturbed.  It was easy to restore 30% with native plants.

Hope this helps.

Hi Kathy,

The site does not necessarily have to be either greenfield or previously developed. It might be a combination of both.

For LEED v4 projects pursuing Option 2 is the only way to comply with this credit for 100% greenfield sites.

In LEED v4.1, however, 100% greenfield site projects can not earn this credit since financial support option is removed.

For 100% previously developed sites, you can comply with the requirements by restoring at least 30% of the site area with native or adapted vegetation and meeting other soil requirements.

Hi Kathy,

1. Yes, all areas within the project boundary must be categorized as either greenfield or previously disturbed, based on their status at the beginning of the project (LEED BD+C v4 guide page 165)
2. Yes, 100% of the greenfield area falls under option 2 in LEED v4. As LEED BD+C v4 guide page 166 states on Step 4: Option 2 is for projects that are 100% greenfield sites, or cannot meet the requirements for on-site restoration, or choose not to conduct restoration
3. Agree with Zeynep, with a 100% previously disturbed site, you can earn this credit through option 1 to meet the requirement. Option 1 required the project team to at least restore 30% (including the building footprint) of all portions of the site identified as previously disturbed using native or adapted vegetation (LEED BD+C v4 guide page 163)

Best regards - Afogreen Build Team