LEED for Neighborhood Development Project Registration: Policy

ND 2.1 Registration Process: Because LEED for Neighborhood Development projects may have significantly longer entitlement and construction periods than projects based on a single building, the registration and application review processes operate differently for such projects. LEED for Neighborhood Development projects are registered and reviewed based on a three-stage registration and application review process.

ND 2.2 Three-Stage Registration System: Under the LEED for Neighborhood Development certification program there are three stages during which a project may be registered and an application may be submitted to GBCI for review. A project may be entered into the program at any stage depending on how far along such project is in the development process. In order for a project to be registered at a particular stage, the project team must demonstrate that the project is eligible for such registration based on the following criteria:

Stage 1 – An application for Stage 1 may only be submitted for those projects that have achieved land use entitlement for no more than 50% of the square footage of all buildings within the project boundary, whether new or renovated, as measured on an aggregate basis. Projects with more than 50% of new and/or renovated square footage already entitled are not eligible for Stage 1 registration.

Stage 2 – An application for Stage 2 may only be submitted for those projects that have achieved land use entitlement by public authorities with jurisdiction over the project for 100% of the square footage of all buildings within the project boundary, whether new or renovated. The project may be under construction or portions completed, but may not have more than 75% of its total building square footage constructed, whether new or renovated.

Stage 3 – An application for Stage 3 may only be submitted for those projects that are completed. A project is complete when: i) the appropriate regulatory authorities have issued certificates of occupancy for all buildings within the project and have accepted all infrastructure within the project; ii) every aspect of the project that pertains to a prerequisite has been completed; and iii) every aspect of the project that pertains to a credit that is being pursued has been completed.

The phrase “land-use entitlement” refers to the existing or granted right to use property for specific types and quantities of residential, commercial, industrial or other land-uses. To demonstrate compliance with this requirement the project must provide documentation evidencing that it holds a land-use entitlement by right or that such land-use entitlement as relied upon in the project plan has been granted to the project through a federal, state or local government regulatory approval process. In this context “by right” is meant to indicate that the development as planned conforms with the laws and regulations related to permitted land-use in the jurisdiction under which the project is to be constructed such that additional land-use approvals are unnecessary as a matter of law. For these purposes, comprehensive, sector, and/or master plan amendments do not equate to a land-use entitlement.

While a project team must select which stage it intends to submit under at the time of registration, a project must demonstrate that it has achieved the specified level of land-use entitlements for the particular stage at the time that the project’s application is submitted to GBCI for review. To the extent a project team selects the incorrect stage, or, if prior to submission the level of land-use entitlements awarded to the project changes, project teams may transfer to the correct stage at no additional cost; however, this process requires that the project team complete alternative and/or additional forms in order to prepare a complete application. Application submission deadlines and/or registration cancellation policies shall not be extended or waived on the grounds that a project has completed an application for the incorrect stage.

ND 2.3 Resources Available Upon Registration: Upon completing the LEED for Neighborhood Development registration process, a project team is provided with the following resources further defined herein: i) an optional and complimentary one-hour introductory teleconference; ii) access to all available submittal forms; and iii) the ability to submit Credit Interpretation Requests.

ND 2.4 Registration of Large Projects: Due to the potential hardship larger projects may have in meeting the requirements in the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system, such as the distance and proximity requirements, GBCI encourages the separation of projects larger than 320 acres into multiple LEED for Neighborhood Development projects each consisting of 320 acres or less.

ND 2.5 Registration Fees: Upon registering a project, the project team must remit the LEED for Neighborhood Development project registration fee. This fee is not discounted based on membership in USGBC. The LEED for Neighborhood Development project registration fee is assessed on a per-project basis as follows:

Project Registration Fee: $1,500

ND 2.6 Registration for Subsequent Stages: To the extent a Project team is seeking to participate in the LEED for Neighborhood Development program at multiple stages, such project team must enter LEED Online and complete the registration process, including the acceptance of the LEED Project Registration Agreement and the GBCI Certification Policy Manual under the thencurrent terms offered by GBCI at the time of registration for each subsequent stage, including the payment of any and all applicable registration fees.

The acceptance of the Registration Agreement and referenced documents at a subsequent stage shall supersede the agreements and all related documents that pertain to project registration and the review of a project application for any and all prior stages including the requirements of the previous rating system version. Accordingly, LEED for Neighborhood Development projects that are registered at a subsequent stage are NOT grandfathered into any version of the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system based on the registration of the project at the initial or immediately previous stage. If a project is registered and submitted for review at a subsequent stage, that project must be submitted in accordance with the requirements of the most recent version of the LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System at the time of such registration.

REGARDLESS OF A PRIOR DETERMINATION BY GBCI TO APPROVE OR PRECERTIFY A PROJECT PLAN AT AN EARLIER STAGE, IF A PROJECT IS REGISTERED AT A SUBSEQUENT STAGE FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE LEED FOR NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT RATING SYSTEM, THAT PROJECT MUST DEMONSTRATE COMPLIANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MOST CURRENT VERSION OF THE LEED FOR NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT RATING SYSTEM AT THAT TIME TO ACHIEVE PRECERTIFICATION OF THE PROJECT PLAN OR CERTIFICATION AT A SUBSEQUENT STAGE.

The following example is provided for the purposes of clarity: A project achieves Stage 1 (conditional approval) under LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development. Prior to registering for Stage 2 (Pre-certification), registration for the 2009 version of LEED for Neighborhood Development is closed and registration for the 2012 version becomes available. If the project is to be registered for Stage 2 (Pre-certification), such registration would need to be completed under LEED 2012 for Neighborhood Development, and subsequently the application for Stage 2 (Pre-certification) would be reviewed by GBCI for compliance with the requirements of the 2012 rating system version. For the Stage 2 review, the project would not be grandfathered under the LEED 2009 requirements