We have an infill site on a university campus. Unfortunately, this particular plot of land was previously undeveloped. When checking the soils survey site, a portion of the site comes up as "prime farmland". Is there any exception for infill or campus sites? Doubt it, but just checking.... Thanks!
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Blake Jackson
Director of SustainabilityNORR
LEEDuser Expert
7 thumbs up
February 5, 2019 - 11:46 am
The real crux of the credit lies on the emphasis that sites earning points be both infill site AND sites that were previously developed. The goal is to conserve "greenfield" sites, the "prime farmland" component being one indicator of a greenfield. It's difficult to say if an exception could be mustered for a campus. My "gut" reaction is that it would not qualify; however, you can always attempt the credit and utilize an alternative compliance pathway to see if the LEED Reviewer will award a location-specific exception. You mention that a portion of the site soils qualifies, but if this is only a small portion on a campus within the existing campus boundary, you may have a case. It's worth a try!
Erica Downs
Sustainability ConsultantThe Green Engineer
5 thumbs up
August 15, 2019 - 2:02 pm
Thanks for the input Blake!