I'm working on a project with zoning ordinances but no open space requirements. The project is question is developing most of the site and the program requirements offer limited opportunities to provide open space. The site is a green field. The owner would like to use the Land Trust Option from the LEED Addenda to achieve this credit. I'm confused by the use of the words "previously developed" in the excerpt from the addenda below. Can the land trust path be used to achieve this credit if the site is not previously developed?
"Projects with limited landscape opportunities may also donate offsite land in perpetuity, equal to 60% of the previously developed area (including the building footprint), to a land trust within the same EPA Level III Ecoregion identified for the project site. The land trust must adhere to the Land Trust Alliance ‘Land Trust Standards and Practices’ 2004 Revision.
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11474 thumbs up
November 21, 2011 - 11:55 pm
Rebecca, according to the credit language (see above), the land trust option is part of Case 2: Previously developed sites. So by those rules, it is not available to your project. Since this appears to be your only chance to earn the credit and the owner wants to do the land trust option, perhaps getting a CIR, or submitting with a narrative explaining the situation, would work.