Fresno homebuilders reducing grass use ahead of state rule

The Fresno-area homebuilding industry knew it was coming.

In the midst of a four-year drought, it was only a matter of time before California water restrictions affected the use of grass in new developments.

The California Water Commission on Wednesday adopted water limits that eliminate grass from new office and commercial buildings and reduce the amount used at new homes from one-third of the landscaped area to 25%.

“We knew we were fighting an uphill battle,” said Mike Prandini, president and chief executive officer of the Building Industry Association of Fresno and Madera Counties. “For this area, these regulations were kind of expected.”

Summer in the hot, dry central San Joaquin Valley is a difficult time to establish grass and plants, Prandini said. It has become even harder in the drought as watering restrictions limit the number of days homeowners can water their lawns.

Local builders started cutting grass out of landscaping even before the drought. With density requirements, lots are smaller, so there is less landscaping to begin with, Prandini said. Builders have looked at ways to design a yard that looks nice and doesn’t require oceans of watering or maintenance.

These new rules “are in reaction to the emergency declaration,” Prandini said.

John Bonadelle of Bonadelle Neighborhoods doesn’t know what to make of the restrictions yet. As far as he knows, it adds more requirements and inspections for landscapes.

“This is going to make it more restrictive and that’s fine, we don’t mind being green and efficient,” said Bonadelle, whose homes have drip irrigation, low-flow toilets and other water-efficient features. “It doesn’t seem too extreme yet.”

Fresno’s McCaffrey Homes and other builders have always been conscious of the need to conserve water.

“For many years our homes have included weather-smart irrigation controls, drought-tolerant landscaping among other water-saving features,” said Karen McCaffrey, vice president. “With our new model homes, Liberty Square, we re-imagined the yards as outdoor living spaces, thus limiting the amount of lawn, to give our homebuyers an idea about how they might do the same.”

Fresno-based Wathen Castanos Homes did away with grass in its South Valley homes a year ago when it became clear that water restrictions wouldn’t allow the grass to stay alive. Now, the builder is installing drought-tolerant plants with no grass in all its homes.

The new rules are like an update to housing codes, said Freddie Logue, vice president of construction for Wathen. In conversations with community leaders, it seemed like “the state of California wanted to get rid of turf across the board,” he said.

“We’re just along for the ride, to see where they are going to go (with this) and see what we can do to give homeowners the American dream.”

This story was originally published July 16, 2015 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Fresno homebuilders reducing grass use ahead of state rule."