20-0609 v3.X Community Organizations with a Local Agriculture-Based Mission 3.x

The following Exception was written in Dec. 2019 for LBC 4.0 Imperative 02 Urban Agriculture, and is retroactively being made applicable to LBC 3.0 and LBC 3.1 Imperative 02 Urban Agriculture.

PL-008 Community Organizations with a Local Agriculture-Based Mission

Nonprofit organizations or community cooperative markets whose primary mission includes the protection and/or expansion of local and sustainable agriculture and the fostering of access to its products may comply by any of the following paths:

• Demonstration that within the two years prior to initiation of the LBC certification audit, the organization’s efforts resulted in the protection in perpetuity by conservation easement for purposes of agricultural production, an area of local land at least twice the size of the area of urban agriculture required for the project.
• Demonstration that within the five years prior to initiation of the LBC certification audit, the organization’s efforts resulted in the protection in perpetuity by conservation easement for purposes of agricultural production, an area of local land at least three times the size of the area of urban agriculture required for the project.
• Demonstration of sales of locally sourced food products at a quantity at least equal to the quantity of food that would be expected to be produced on an area of land three times the size of the area of the area of urban agriculture required for the project.
To meet the requirements of the first two compliance options listed, conservation easements must be held by an organization that meets the requirements for approved land trusts or Exception PL-011, Accreditation Equivalency under Imperative 03, Habitat Exchange. To meet the requirements of each compliance path, agricultural production must not employ the use of petrochemical inputs.

For purposes of this Exception, “local” means within 500km of the project site, as measured in a straight line. The nature of the nonprofit or community cooperative market’s contribution may include funding or other direct involvement without which the land conservation or sales would not have occurred.

In all cases, the benefits of these efforts must be communicated to the building occupants.

Documentation:

The following documentation is required to show compliance with this Exception:

All Projects

• Narrative with explanation of how building occupants have been made aware of the conservation or local sourcing of agriculture.
• Technical documents demonstrating the organization’s status as a nonprofit or community cooperative market and confirming that its primary mission encompasses the protection and expansion of local and sustainable agriculture and the fostering of access to its products.
• Documents demonstrating that the related agricultural production did not employ the use of petrochemical inputs.
If using an Agricultural Conservation Easement path, also include:

An official letter or document from the land trust holding the agricultural conservation easement:

• Stating the terms, size, and date of the agricultural conservation easement(s), and that the land will be held in perpetuity.
• Documenting that the organization holding the easement meets the land trust requirements.
• Explaining the essential involvement of the nonprofit or community cooperative market in the protection of the land.
• A map showing the location of the project site and the conservation easement and the distance in a straight line from one to the other.

If using the Locally Sourced Sales path, also include:

• Calculation, based on industry accepted methods, of the yield per square foot of relevant products that would be expected in an average year from production on local agricultural land; and
• Receipts or accounting documentation of sales of locally produced products equal to the required amount.