Under LEED NCv2.2, projects must provide adequate bike racks to serve 5% or more of all commercial and retail building users at peak periods of occupancy and shower and changing facilities for 0.5% of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) occupants. The credit also requires residential projects to provide 15% of residents with covered bike storage. Our project is a mixed use hotel, residential, retail and office building in New York City. We propose to provide: - Bike racks for at least 5% of the hotel and retail employees, retail customers and office tenants - Showers and changing facilities for at least 0.5% of the hotel and retail staff and office occupant FTE - Covered bike storage for at least 15% of residents - Hotel guests with information about where they can rent a bike for daily use We request exemption of the hotel guests from the onsite bike storage requirement as we do not believe they will bring bikes and it would be cost prohibitive to provide enough bike storage to serve 0.5% of them. The USGBC has previously ruled (SSc4.2 ruling dated 06/04/03) that an international airline terminal can meet the intent of this credit by providing bike racks, showers and changing facilities for the FTE staff occupancy exclusively, provided alternative transportation opportunities are maximized for transient occupants. In addition this would be extremely cost prohibitive based on the construction and real estate in New York City. Our project is located on 42nd Street, very near Times Square in midtown Manhattan. The primary modes of transportation around this busy retail, theatre and residential area are walking and subways. The project itself includes a new subway station that will lead pedestrians to 12 subway lines. The City\'s major bus terminal (Port Authority) is a block away from the project. The City\'s two major train stations are within walking distance, but hotel guests can also catch a pedicab, bus or subway from the project to reach them. We do not believe personal bicycles are a likely means of transportation for hotel guests (especially from the airport with luggage) to our project, and guests will have every means of reaching the hotel by public transportation. Out of town guests will be able to reach the project by subway, train or bus from all the major New Jersey and New York airports.
The project team is pursuing LEED- NCv2.2 SSc4.2 and is requesting an exemption for hotel guests from the onsite bike storage requirement. Per previous CIR ruling (NCv2.1 SSc4.2 ruling dated 09/14/06), the proposed approach to exclude hotel guests from onsite bike storage requirements is appropriate given the proximity of the project to mass transit and the explanation provided. When submitting this credit, the narrative should include the number of people that are excluded from SSc4.2 occupancy counts and why this type of visitor cannot reasonably be expected to arrive at this destination on or with a bicycle. The submittal should also state how guests with bicycles will be accommodated. See the LEED NCv2.1 SSc4.2 CIR ruling dated 5/13/2007 for information on calculating hotel occupancy. As you correctly mention, other transient occupants such as retail customers should be included in occupancy counts, along with all the FTEs (all building staff and office tenants) and building residents. Applicable Internationally.