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LEED for Neighborhood Development Program: Brings Environmental Stewardship HomeAuthor: Mindi Zissman Date: Mar 1 2008 12:00AM URL: www.usgbc.org  The eight net-zero energy homes currently under construction at Weatherford Place in Roswell, Ga., are each outfitted with a rain harvesting system and thin membrane solar panels atop their standing-seam metal roofs.Chosen for their ease of integration with these sustainable solutions, as well as their elegant aesthetic, functionality and high performance, the metal roofs will help the local developer, Cadmus Construction LLC, achieve the LEED Platinum certification it is working toward. But the residences at Weatherford Place won’t be just any LEED-certified homes. Along with 237 other national and international pilot projects, Weatherford Place plans to be among the first to be certified in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Neighborhood Development, or LEED-ND, program. Created to encourage smart growth within communities, LEED-ND challenges developers to focus on the importance of location, transportation alternatives, equity and community formation when developing land use plans.  “The LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot program is the next generation of green building thinking,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC, Washington, D.C. “By applying what we’ve learned about individual green buildings to entire neighborhoods, we’re linking urban planning and environmentally friendly design and construction in a whole new, beneficial and healthy way.”The program differs from other LEED initiatives in that it can certify plans, both prior to receiving local government approval and after (before breaking ground), with final project certification taking place following construction completion. By providing multiple certification opportunities, the program hopes to significantly impact land use. “We’re hoping that our approval in the early stages of the project will be useful and valuable to the developer when trying to get the approval of local governments,” said Jennifer Henry, MUP, director of the LEED-ND program, explaining that local governments often zone land in a way that can make it difficult for developers of walkable communities to gain project endorsement. “We want to give developers who are doing projects that are better for the environment a fast track to building their neighborhoods.” Born as a joint venture between USGBC; the National Resources Defense Council, New York; and the Congress for New Urbanism, Chicago, LEED-ND will take the lessons learned from its pilot projects, which are scheduled to complete at least one stage of certification over the course of the next year, and turn them into an official rating system. This system will be co-authored by members of each organization and is scheduled to be released in 2009 (see sidebar below).  Weatherford Place is right on target with one home nearly completed and the other seven well on their way. Project manager Denise Donahue hopes the development’s final certification will exceed LEED-ND’s Platinum requirements.The homes feature Energy Star-rated metal roofing from Drexel Metals Corp., Ivyland, Pa., with a total solar refl ectance of 32 and emittance of 87. With site-excavated stones and site-specific recycled wood gracing the exterior and interior of each home, Weatherford Place hopes to qualify for LEED-ND “innovation points,” which Henry said can be earned by implementing recycled materials throughout the development. Linked together by a natural trail and adjacent stream, the acres of Weatherford Place are sustainable in their own right. On the north end of the development runs Crossville Creek, where Cadmus Construction has restored the wild habitat and stream buffer. By planting more than 400 trees, protecting the Creek’s fish nests and creating a bio retention area, the developer has made Weatherford Place into much more than a few sustainable houses. Instead, it promises to be a better environment overall and, therefore, a true LEED-ND locale. “Taking a more comprehensive approach [to green building] lets builders draw on a host of new opportunities for reducing the overall environmental footprint by making communities mixed-use and pedestrian-friendly,” said Ashok Gupta, director of NRDC’s Air and Energy Program. “Creating a neighborhood-based standard encourages architects, builders and planners to think bigger about energy savings, transportation impacts and the overall shape of cleaner, healthier and more efficient communities.” Visit www.usgbc.org for the LEED-ND rating system and a list of pilot projects.  Mindi Zissman is a Chicago-based freelance journalist. LEED for Neighborhood Development TimelineThe 238 LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) pilot projects represent 39 states and six other countries, ranging from urban infill projects that are less than 1 acre in size to whole communities that occupy more than 12,000 acres. From start to finish, the LEED-ND committee, made up of professionals from the U.S. Green Building Council, the National Resources Defense Council and the Congress for New Urbanism, hope the pilot projects will help them revise the current proposed rating system, for an official public launch in 2009. February 2007 USGBC publishes initial LEED-ND rating system Spring 2007 Call goes out for pilot projects July 2007 Certification for pilot projects begins (18-month window) Spring 2008 Committee begins rating system revision July 2008 Multiple public comment periods on revised rating system starts January 2009 Certification for pilot projects concludes Spring 2009 Official LEED-ND rating system available | ||||||||||
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