Our project is a government building in a neighborhood of civic buildings, almost all of which are only open on weekdays. It is very well served by public transit on weekdays, but not on weekends. The calculation of trips using the lowest number (weekends in this case) significantly penalizes our project.
Has anyone been successful in arguing the case for counting just the weekday trips in such circumstances?
Carolyn Risley
LEED Consultant & Mechanical EngineerDillon Consulting Limited
1 thumbs up
January 5, 2018 - 3:20 pm
I have seen examples in previous versions of the LEED rating systems where allowances have been made for buildings used seasonally, and an allowance has been made in LEED v4, stating that "schools should not count weekend transit service...unless students commute to school on weekend days." If, in your case, the LEED project is not open on weekends, I think a potentially successful argument could be made that transit is not required on the weekend; however, I would recommend speaking to a representative from the USGBC/LEED Coach before relying on the achievement of those points.
emily reese moody
Sustainability Director, Certifications & ComplianceJacobs
LEEDuser Expert
474 thumbs up
April 25, 2018 - 2:14 pm
I contacted LEED Coach and asked for some guidance regarding projects that are only occupied on the weekend, and the possibility of still earning this credit with no/little weekend services. Here is their response, for reference:
For LEED v4, the intent of this credit is to encourage development in locations well served by transit, and the definition of quality transit developed for the rating system includes weekend transit. Exceptions to the weekend service requirement are generally not available to NC or CI projects.
However, if your team feels that the intent of the credit can be met with project-specific circumstances, the alternative compliance path would need to demonstrate how the intent is met. Additionally, since the weekend requirements cannot be met, the team would need to demonstrate that the building is intended to have zero weekend occupancy (including custodial / maintenance / security staff). For example, a secure facility that is not accessible outside weekday opening hours might be granted an exception. If submitting a CIR, your team should provide a narrative describing the anticipated occupancy and any restrictions on weekend access.
Hope that helps!