For LT Credit - Site Selection, Option 3 (Open Space), LEED v4 Homes & Multifamily Low-Rise requires that the project be within ½ mile (800 m) walking distance of one CONTIGUOUS, publicly accessible open-space parcel that is at least 0.2 ha (0.5 acre) and whose primary ground cover is living vegetation. Playgrounds finished mainly in softscape meet the definition. Water surfaces may supply no more than 25 % of the qualifying area, golf-course land is specifically excluded, parcels smaller than 0.2 ha may not be aggregated, and spaces that cannot be freely accessed by the public do not count. Only option A satisfies every stipulation.

B. Dominated by water and part of a golf course; water limited to 25 %, golf courses excluded.

C. Each parcel is <0.2 ha and they are not contiguous; LEED disallows combining separate parcels to meet the minimum.

D. Access requires crossing private property; therefore not “publicly accessible” as required.

1. USGBC. LEED v4 for Homes and Multifamily Low-Rise Reference Guide, Location & Transportation credit – Site Selection, Option 3: Open Space, Req. bullets 1–4, p. 93–94.

2. USGBC. LEED v4 BD+C Reference Guide, Sustainable Sites credit: Open Space, “Qualifying Open Space,” p. 158 (water area & golf-course exclusions align with Homes criteria).

3. University of Washington Built Environments College, Course B E 470 “Green Buildings,” Lecture 7 notes, slide 15 (public accessibility and minimum size for LEED open-space compliance).