Our project is a 408 student residence hall in a campus setting sited on an existing commuter parking lot. It is in a moderately rural community with off-campus amentities within a 1/2 mile. Since the campus does not adhere to town zoning by-laws for parking, and existing parking is considered ample by the college, we are able to eliminate 350 parking spaces and add only 4 for building staff. In addition, there is a shuttle service for students and staff that services the campus as well as town amentities, (http://www.bridgew.edu/Transportation/campusshuttle.cfm). There is also a campus wide vehicle request system that provides vans and mini-buses for off campus trips within a 200 mile radius of campus, (http://www.bridgew.edu/Transportation/TransPolicy.cfm). In eliminating 346 net parking spaces and utilizing a campus wide shuttle service as well as a vehicle request system, we have encouraged students and staff to take advantage of what is a very walkable campus and town. Is the intent of this credit, (NC 2.1), satisfied?
Based on the provided description, the project meets the first requirement of this credit by reducing the number of parking spaces provided, assuming that additional parking is not being added elsewhere on the campus as a direct result of this project. However, the second requirement of this credit, to provide designated carpool/vanpool parking spaces for 5% of the building occupants, must also be demonstrated. Past CIRs have addressed ways to calculate the number of required carpool spaces based on full time equivalent occupants in the building (see SSc4.4 CIR rulings dated 7/16/03, 8/7/2002 and 6/28/2002). Please also note that per CIR ruling dated 2/2/2004, shuttle bus parking cannot be used to substitute carpool spaces. Applicable Internationally.