The LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) rating system encourages sustainable development practices that promote smart growth, urbanism, and green building. One of the key prerequisites under the Smart Location and Linkage (SLL) category is Agricultural Land Conservation, which aims to protect prime agricultural soils and important farmlands.

In the context of the provided scenario where a non-infill site has prime agricultural soils in areas planned for construction, the prerequisite emphasizes minimizing the impact on these valuable soils. The correct strategy, according to the LEED ND standards, is to purchase off-site comparable soil easements to mitigate the loss of affected soils (option D). This approach aligns with the intent to conserve agricultural land by ensuring that the lost agricultural capacity is compensated for elsewhere.

LEED v4 Neighborhood Development Guide: This document outlines the prerequisites for Smart Location and Linkage, emphasizing the protection of prime agricultural lands (USGBC, LEED v4 Neighborhood Development Current Version).

LEED Reference Guide for Neighborhood Development: Provides detailed criteria and acceptable measures for fulfilling the Agricultural Land Conservation prerequisite (USGBC, LEED Reference Guide for Neighborhood Development).

USGBC Official Website: The USGBC page on LEED for Neighborhood Development discusses the importance of conserving prime agricultural soils and the acceptable strategies for mitigating the loss of these resources (USGBC, LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System).

This approach is preferred as it ensures that the loss of valuable agricultural land due to development is compensated by protecting an equivalent area of prime agricultural soils, thus supporting the broader goals of sustainability and conservation within the LEED ND framework.