If the tenant will occupy a significant portion of the building for a minimum of ten years, consider working with building management to encourage implementation of green strategies that will help your project meet LEED requirements in areas beyond the tenant’s control. Look especially at the credits in the Sustainable Sites section. For example, the project team could suggest:
With a longer lease term, it’s important to select your building location very carefully. If you don’t choose a LEED-certified building, try to find a building with improvement opportunities that have payback periods within the lease term. Use the thresholds outlined in the LEED credits, especially those in the energy section, as a framework for determining the cost implications of potential improvements.
With longer leases, occupants benefit from energy and water savings and other efficiencies over a longer period of time, which can mean greater incentives to implement green strategies with longer payback periods. Examples include:
If your project is a renovation, and the tenant is halfway through a ten-year or longer lease, you can still comply—there is no stipulation that the lease has to start at the beginning of construction.
To earn the credit, the tenant must commit to remaining in the same location for at least 10 years. The most straightforward way to do this is through an extended lease.
Conduct a site evaluation to assess opportunities for minimizing the alteration of the natural stormwater runoff patterns of your site and the disruption of mature vegetation, especially trees. This will save money and time in terms of earth-moving and replanting vegetation.
