Parksmart

Description

Similar to LEED Certification, Parksmart Certification incentivizes sustainable practices for new and existing parking facilities. Points are awarded to parking structures for forward-thinking and sustainable practices in three categories: management, programs, and technology structure design. Depending on the type of structure and how many points you have, you will be granted pioneer, bronze, silver or gold certification.

Eligibility

New and existing commercial, university, municipal, hospital, retail and hospitality parking facilities are eligible. Projects can be standalone or a part of a mixed-use building but must be multi-story buildings. Projects have five years to complete certification.

New construction projects, or projects that were completed and commissioned within two years of registration, can achieve bronze, silver, or gold certification, but must earn +20 points in each of the three main certification categories to be eligible.

Existing projects are those completed and commissioned more than two years prior to registration. They can achieve Pioneer certification but must earn +15 points in each of the three main certification categories.

How the Program Works

Certification ranking is dependent on the number of points attained by a parking facility, with each level of certification achieved by meeting minimum thresholds. Points are assigned to each measure within the three main categories based on environmental impact, achievability for new and existing structures, and relevance to the economics of the asset.

A total of 248 points are available–new buildings will rank bronze if they achieve 110-134 points, silver for 125-159 points, and gold for +160 points. Existing structures will achieve pioneer ranking if they achieve +90 points.

Applicants will need to pay introductory fees for Registration, Certification, Precertification (if applicable), Measure Interpretation Ruling (if applicable), and Supplemental Review (if applicable).

How to Apply

Register:  Complete Parksmart Registration at arcskoru.com to receive your application. Use the Parksmart Planning Worksheet to determine your certification strategy and schedule a planning call with your GBCI reviewer to discuss your approach.

Apply: After talking with your GBCI reviewer, collect and submit the necessary documentation to the Arc platform to enable GBCI to review your project. The certification fee is due when your project is submitted for preliminary review.

Review: Within 20-25 business days GBCI will review your application, noting which measures are achieved and which measures need further information. Special circumstances may require supplemental reviews that incur additional fees. Precertification review optional to help determine which measures are anticipated to be achieved by your project.

Certify: When you accept GBCI’s review, you’ve completed the process! GBCI will provide a formal certificate of recognition, and you can begin promoting this achievement with the Parksmart logo.

Contact Information

Direct questions to parksmart@gbci.org.