Our project is a primary health care clinic on an existing Army Fort. The program calls for parking spaces for staff and for visitors (patients). There is no zoning regulation. Many, or most, patients are expected to be ill when they come to the facility. First, can we provide car pooling (and potentially LEV spaces) for only the staff parking? The visitor parking will be patients that will not be expected to think of carpooling (unless they are too sick to drive, and have someone else drive them). Secondly, can we locate the car pooling spaces (and potentially LEV spaces) reserved spaces in the staff portion of the parking lot (not at the handicapped space area near the building) since we would like to give sick patients priority over those who drive van pools. I.e., the closest spaces to the building will be reserved for the handicapped and then the sick visitors.
The project may provide preferred parking for carpools or vanpools in one of two ways: 1) Size parking capacity to meet, but not exceed, minimum local zoning requirements OR health department regulatory authority, whichever is the overriding requirement, AND, provide preferred parking for carpools or vanpools for 5% of the total provided parking spaces. OR 2) For projects that provide parking for less than 5% of staff (measured at peak periods), provide preferred parking for carpools or vanpools, marked as such, for 5% of total provided parking spaces. Encouraging visitors and staff to carpool promotes the credit intent. Providing preferred carpooling spaces for the staff only does not meet the credit requirements. The LEED-NC Reference Guide clearly states the definition for preferred parking. Preferred Parking refers to the 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 discounted rate. Therefore, carpool spaces can only be located in the staff portion of the parking lot if these spaces are the closest to the main entrance of the project, exclusive of spaces designated for handicapped. Alternatively the project team may wish to consider that parking passes at reduced rates could be provided in lieu of designated parking. Please note: if no local zoning (or health department regulatory authority) requirements for parking exist, per a LEED-NC v2.1 SSc4.4 CIR Ruling dated 4/28/2003 the applicant must utilize the Institute of Transportation Engineers "Parking Generation" Study 2003, 3rd Edition to establish a code equivalent requirement and design the parking to be 25% less than that per the requirements outlined in the CIR.