There are currently no minimum local zoning requirements for parking in the central business district of Allentown, PA, where this project is located. The project is a new office building addition to an urban corporate campus that already has structured parking nearby (300 feet away) with excess capacity; it is anticipated that most of the 800 occupants of this new building will find parking in the existing structure. In accordance with the intention of the credit 4.4, the project itself will create no parking other than three spaces for electric vehicle charging. Will providing these spaces in an attempt to qualify for credit 4.3 make the project ineligible for credit 4.4 by having exceeded the minimum required parking spaces (zero)? Secondly, as there is no minimum number of zoning-required parking spaces from which 3% can be set aside for alternative vehicle fueling, will establishing three spaces for this purpose be sufficient for meeting the intent of credit 4.3? Thirdly, because we have no on-site parking to set aside for the carpool portion of credit 4.4, would we be able to qualify for the second part of credit 4.4 by designating reserved parking spaces in the existing nearby parking structure for use by carpool and vanpool use by occupants of this project?
The only way to capture this credit in the absence of minimum local zoning requirements is to not build any new parking at all, AND convert existing parking to the preferred HOV designation. In your case, this means that the existing structure would need to be modified to incorporate the HOV program. All costs to create the HOV spots need to be included in all applicable LEED material credit calculations. Should the project elect to construct additional parking designated as HOV spaces, it would not be eligible for this credit. Applicable internationally.