Drop-off area

I don't see why not, as long as you're not double-counting this with some other requirement.

To confirm - it is acceptable to use a designated parking space as a carpool drop off?

I'm trying to remember why I stated that earlier and I'm not so confident about this. It seems to me that a drop-off space is fundamentally different from a designated parking space. A drop-off space is not very useful if someone is parked in it. I think they need to be separate.

We were considering re-striping 1 or 2 parking spaces close to the main entrance as a carpool drop off spot as there may not be room for a typical space in the drop off zone. Would this be considered acceptable?

On a recent submittal for a school project, we received this comment from GBCI: "The carpool drop-off area for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles should facilitate convenient carpooling for both students and staff and be situated to effectively manage anticipated traffic patterns, but the requirements do not specify that the drop-off area must be a stand-alone carpool lane. Any reasonably located area, including parking space(s) in a preferred location with signage to reserve the area for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicle temporary carpool drop-off parking may be considered a compliant drop-off area, if the noted criteria is confirmed."