At least eight of the ten required services must be operational at the time of project completion. For services that are nonexistent but proposed (up to two of the ten required services), the project team must demonstrate that these services will at least be in construction by the time the project is finished. This can be documented by signed lease agreements or a letter from the developer or owner stating the scheduled opening of the service.
Discuss the potential for future build-out, consider making sure the areas delineated as open space for credit compliance will not be compromised in the future.
Research your site’s zoning requirements to see if you are required to provide open space; this will help you determine how much open space is required for credit compliance. The compliance path you follow is not open to choice—it depends strictly upon your local zoning regulations.
Turf grass is an example of a monoculture species. Monoculture plantings are essentially the opposite of a biologically diverse landscape, where only one species is planted over an extensive area.
Calculate the rough site area that you’ll need to restore. Determine the area that 50% of your site (minus building footprint) will be. Will this be feasible under the rough design?
Determine if a registered landscape architect will be involved in the project. If so, you can document this credit through the LPE streamlined path, in which the landscape architect signs off on the whole credit. Doing so requires much less documentation.
Contract with the M&V provider early in the process so that system components and recommendations can be implemented seamlessly into systems rather than as add-ons.
The “M&V provider” develops the M&V plan. This role can be filled by the commissioning agent, energy modeler, mechanical engineer, project engineer, or a facilities manager.
