LEED-compliant neighborhoods make an evironmental difference says NRDC's Kaid Benfield

Kaid Benfield, NRDC, writes in his blog that:

Confirming previous analysis, newly published research indicates that real estate development located, designed and built to the standards of LEED for Neighborhood Development will have dramatically lower rates of driving than average development in the same metropolitan region.  In particular, estimated vehicle miles per person trip for twelve LEED-ND projects that were studied in depth ranged from 24 to 60 percent of their respective regional averages.  The most urban and centrally located of the projects tended to achieve the highest shares of walking and transit use, and the lowest private vehicle trip lengths. . . .

Click here for the rest of his overview of this research paper.  

Yet, County planning staff continue to fight using LEED standards for residential development in Reston's transit station areas.  Here is (all) that the staff has proposed for the Reston Areawide Comprehensive Plan language concerning adherence to LEED standards--for commercial OR residential development:

Non-residential development in the TSAs should achieve LEED Silver certification or the equivalent, at a minimum, in light of the level of redevelopment potential proposed for the TSAs.  Residential development should be guided by the Policy Plan objectives on Resource Conservation and Green Building Practices. Achievement of higher levels of LEED certification is also encouraged.  (p. 26)

In our response to this draft language, we noted that residential areas should also meet LEED standards--and Benfield's post and the research article from which he draws highlight the reasons why, including those effects noted in his opening paragraph above.