Our project is a Senior Assisted Living Facility registered under the LEED NC 2.2 rating system. In addition to the residential component it includes a restaurant, shop and dining room and will be staffed 24 hours a day with a maximum of 22 staff FTE occupants per shift. We are requesting a ruling excluding the requirement to provide covered bike racks for the residential occupants, whom are unable to bike due to physical limitations and/or health problems. Due to the specific characteristics of the residential population, the project team feels that it is impractical to provide covered bike storage for 15% of the residents, as calculated for SSc4.2 Alternative Transportation, Bike Storage and Changing Rooms. Previous CIR rulings dated 6/4/2003 and 9/14/2006 set a precedence to exclude certain populations from the bicycle storage requirements based upon the practicality of that population to take advantage of the bicycle storage. LEED for Schools also addresses the issue of physical inability and/or safety by limiting the bike rack requirement to students above third grade. To meet the intent of this credit we are proposing that we satisfy the requirements to serve the employees of the project and provide bicycle storage for 5% of the FTE and showers for 0.5% of the FTE and exclude the residential population from the calculation for bicycle storage.
The CIR is requesting that their project be exempted from the requirement for covered bicycle racks for 15% of residents. This request is based on the physical limitations of the residents at this senior assisted living facility and the assumption that they will not be riding bicycles with any regularity. The project has proposed to meet the credit by providing bicycle racks for 5% of the staff FTE, and showers for .5% of the staff FTE, with the residents entirely excluded from the calculations. Based on previous CIRs, especially the ruling dated 12/2/07 under SSc4.4, physically incapacitated residents can be excluded from credit calculations determining bicycle racks. However, in order for the credit requirements to be satisfied, the bicycle racks must be sized to accommodate 5% of both the FTE staff, and the peak transient occupancy including visitors. The proposal to size the showers for 0.5% of the FTE staff is appropriate for credit compliance. Please note that employee shower facilities must be separate from resident shower facilities. Applicable Internationally.