The site is approximately 8 acres in area. Approximately 2 acres of the site have been developed with buildings and impervious surfaces. The site is occupied by a single owner and is comprised of: 2 small office buildings, a repair garage building, a storage garage building, and 3 support buildings. The built compound surrounds a parking area (approx. 1/3rd of an acre) which has a 75% occupancy year round. The building program calls for the construction of a new 6300 sq.ft. office building. The proposed building is to be located on a greenfield portion of the site and an existing paved area which is directly adjacent to the developed area and the highway. The owner has agreed to accommodate the new parking and vehicular/pedestrian circulation within the existing paved areas, so only the new office building footprint would disturb the greenfield area. The total amount of impervious surfaces on the site has been reduced as a result of this project where some existing asphalt surfaces have been replaced with vegetated areas where the project site borders a previously developed area. The inquiry is: can just this area of the property be considered as a greenfield site, defined as the specific site area where construction will take place as the extent of the site area for the purposes of LEED? If not, how should we define the boundaries of our project site as it relates to LEED in this specific case?
This inquiry relates to SSc5, as opposed to SSp1 (under which it has been submitted). In order to determine if the mixed site should be classified as a greenfileld or previously developed site, the team must clarify the site conditions. As noted in various previous CIRs on this issue, if the "greenfield" portion of the site had been mass graded then it would actually be considered previously developed. If truly a greenfield, then the project should draw their site boundaries, determine if the majority is greenfield or previously developed, and then follow the path that the majority of their site falls into (based on square footage). Once established, the site definition and boundary must be consistent across all LEED credits. Applicable internationally.