I currently have a project on a military base that was denied this point because "not all of the listed services have sidewalk pedestrian access from the project site....dirt trails do not meet the credit intent of contiguous pedestrian access. All pedestrian access must be located along pedestrian-oriented infrastructure (sidewalks and crosswalks) so that ADA and all-weather access is guaranteed for all building occupants"
I've never encountered a problem like this on other military projects for this credit. The LEED Ref. Guide v. 2009 mentions that "pedestrians must be able to walk to the services without being blocked by walls, highways, or other barriers", but I don't understand why they would think a "dirt trail", which is actually more like a dirt sidewalk (if you've been on military bases), is a barrier.
Anyone ever deal with something similar? Or have any ideas of a suitable way to appeal this?
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11477 thumbs up
April 6, 2012 - 10:22 am
Alberto, sorry for the slow response here to your question—have you made any progress on this, or decided on a path (pun intended)?If I were you, I would appeal this with reference to the language and the fact that an explicit requirement for ADA-compliant sidewalks is not stated. You could submit photographic evidence that the pathways in question are commonly used by all kinds of folks.In the end, though, you might not earn the credit—hopefully it's not crucial for the project.