This project is a new Imaging Center that will provide a full range of diagnostic imaging services for patients and physicians. The focus of the facility is to provide a service to patients first and foremost while also implementing green standards and practices. The intent of the facility is to achieve LEED Certification-Silver Rating. We will pursue SS c4.3 via option #2, by providing reserved low-emitting and fuel efficient parking for 5% of the total FTE (staff, patients and visitors based on a maximum occupied shift) of the new building. The preferred parking for low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles will be located in the North Parking lot intermixed with the employee parking. "Preferred Parking" as defined by USGBC, is "parking spots that are closest to the main entrance of the project, exclusive of spaces designated for handicapped, or to parking passes provided at a discount." In this healthcare facility there are no parking passes provided at a discount, however, we would like to argue that patient preferred parking be excluded as well from the "preferred parking" definition. Because the main function of the Imaging Center is to provide service to its patients the facility needs to be sensitive to the patient that does not have the means to be able to afford to drive a new hybrid or other fuel efficient car. We feel the preferred parking location for the low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles will still meet the intent of the credit and that is "to reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use." The parking spots are still very close to a main entrance (within 100 feet) and are well within a 1/4" mile, which is a threshold established in rulings of previous CIRs. We feel that this will be acceptable based on two previous CIR responses (dated 7/31/08 & 2/2/07).
The project team would like to designate reserved parking spaces for low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles within 100 feet of a main entrance, in lieu of providing these spaces closest to the main entrance, per the stated LEED definition of "preferred parking". Given the function of the facility, and assuming that employee parking is separate from patient parking, it would be acceptable to provide preferred parking (per the LEED definition) for low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles for 5% of patient parking and preferred parking for low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles for 5% of employee parking (even if it is farther away than the non-preferred patient parking), thereby meeting the requirement of 5% preferred parking for these vehicles overall. If there are multiple parking locations served by different entranced to the building, then the above approach should be used, with preferred parking distributed appropriately by ratio. For LEED submission purposes, the project team should provide a narrative with a detailed description of the building occupants\' parking needs which are unique to the project. Applicable Internationally.