Parking Reduction Exceptional Performance for Alternative Transportation: Parking Reduction. As we understand the requirements for achieving an innovation point for exceptional performance, one strategy involves substantially exceeding a LEED performance credit. SS Credit 4.4 requires (in part) that you \'add no new parking for rehabilitation projects\'. We propose to greatly exceed the requirements of this credit as follows: the project will rehabilitate and add to an existing building without adding any new parking, and, in addition, it will reduce the existing parking substantially. Intent: To reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use by substantially exceeding the requirements for LEED credits SS 4.2 & 4.4. The North Central Animal Services Center will restrict available parking to encourage the use of readily available alternative transportation: ie, bicycles, buses, and metro systems. The City of Los Angeles supports a population notoriously married to the use of the private automobile. Despite recent sizeable public investments in alternative transportation infrastructure, the roads remain clogged with vehicles. We have proposed that the city take a leadership role in promoting the use of available alternative systems by voluntarily restricting available parking capacity at this city-owned facility. Requirement for Compliance: Reduce parking capacity by a minimum of 40%. Increase the number of bicycle spaces (exceed the requirements of SS Credit 4.2 by a factor of 4) to 11 spaces minimum with the appropriate showering facilities (a minimum of 2). Submittals: 1. Provide a pre-rehabilitation parking plan and post-rehabilitation parking plan demonstrating that parking capacity was reduced by 40%. 2. Provide site drawings and specifications highlighting bicycle securing apparatus and changing/shower facilities. Include calculations demonstrating that these facilities accommodate 20% of building occupants. Narrative: The existing building incorporates a 35,900 sf floor plan, and currently has a visitor parking lot of 42,150 sf, and a staff parking lot of 48,200 sf for a total parking area of 90,350 sf. The building sits adjacent to a new metrorail stop, several bus lines, and a proposed bikeway. We will add 7,975 sf of building to the facility, for a new total of 43,875 sf. The zoning requirements are to add 1 parking space per each 500 sf of additional floor area. In lieu of adding these spaces, the owner, (the City of Los Angeles) has decided to voluntarily restrict their parking capacity by reducing the size of their parking lots as follows: the visitor parking lot will reduce to 11,496 sf (a reduction of 30,654 sf), and the staff parking lot will reduce to 38,027 sf (a reduction of 10,173 sf) for a proposed total parking area of 49,523 sf. In conclusion, the building area will increase by 22%, and the parking area will decrease to 54% of the current. Will this qualify for an innovation credit for \'exemplary performance\'?
In evaluating this case for an ID credit, the LEED certification review would consider whether the project has demonstrated that exemplary performance toward the overall credit goal has been achieved. Parking reductions alone might not constitute an achievement, if the staff parking issue is merely pushed to neighboring properties in an urban setting. Just because the building site downtown happens to be a parking lot before construction does not demonstrate an exemplary commitment to parking reduction when the building footprint displaces existing parking. From the description, it is not clear how the total remaining number of post construction parking spaces compares to total number of required parking spaces for this building per local zoning. This should be shown in the application. By implementing a multi-faceted approach; in this case reduced parking area, increased bicycle capacity, demonstration of significant building-wide participation in alternative transportation strategies, etc, the case for exemplary performance is made stronger. Consider implementing (and documenting) a proactive plan to get staff out of their cars and into alternative transportation as part of this program. ID credits are not awarded through the CIR process, so the applicant will need to make a strong and convincing case for this innovation credit in the application itself.