Daily Real Estate News | Friday, July 17, 2015
New homes in California are facing a changing landscape. New-home builders will soon face major changes to lawns, as the drought-ravaged state continues to implement water restrictions.
California lawmakers approved new rules Wednesday to ban owners from planting around new commercial buildings and to limit grass to about 25 percent of the landscape of new homes. New homes with more than 500 square feet of landscaping will also be required to have water-efficient sprinkler systems as well as a mix of vegetation that does not exceed certain water-use limits. More native and drought-tolerant plants are expected to spruce up new neighborhoods.
Read more: What Calif.’s Drought Could Mean for Housing
Existing landscapes will not be affected by the new regulations.
New homes will be mandated to comply by Dec. 1. The regulations were adopted by the California Water Commission. Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown in April urged that the state’s construction guidelines better encourage water conservation, following four of the driest years on record in the Golden State.
“This establishes a new direction for landscaping in California — toward lower water use,” Peter Brostrom, water use efficiency program manager for the California Department of Water Resources, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’ll push people away from strictly planting lawns and to look for other options.”
The updated ordinance also includes a ban of grass for new commercial, industrial, and government buildings and for street medians. It permits a few exceptions for grass used for parks and sports fields.
Jurgen Gramckow, president of Southland Sod Farms in Ventura County, calls the rules too limiting. New-home owners won’t be allowed to have the traditional yard for children and pets to enjoy, he says. “The hard fact is that this changes the face of the California landscape from the lush green look to something more akin to what you see in Arizona,” Gramckow told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Source: “California Curbs Lawns for New Homes, Businesses,” San Francisco Chronicle (July 15, 2015)