At the April 12, 2016, City Council Meeting, Council Member Bui brought up under “Matters from the Mayor, City Council Members, and City Manager” the fact that he has been contacted by several residents who have received notices from Code Enforcement that their front yard landscaping was not compliant with City codes.  Council Member Bui requested, and the City Council concurred, that staff provide information on the current Municipal Code requirements for front yard landscaping and paving and to make recommendations that could help residents be compliant with City codes while still being sensitive to the current drought.

The City of Garden Grove is committed to the preservation and improvement of the City’s residential neighborhoods.In an effort to maintain high quality neighborhoods and maintain property values, the City Council has adopted a number of property maintenance standards which have been codified in the Garden Grove Municipal Code.

In February 2014, in an effort to support water conservation and at the direction of Council, code enforcement officers stopped issuing notices and citations for browning lawns.  Since that time, there has been an increasing number of home owners who are replacing all or most of their required front yard landscaping with crushed rock, cement pavers and/or concrete paving.  Photos are attached for reference.  While crushed stone, cement pavers and concrete are not, in and of themselves, a violation of the Municipal Code, they are a violation if they are used to the exclusion of plant material and cover more than 50% of the required front yard.

Several Municipal Codes address front yard landscaping requirements:

• 9.08.040.050(D)(1) requires “The maximum permitted percentage of hardscape coverage in the front yard setback….shall be 50%...”
  
  
•  9.08.040.050(J) requires “All unpaved areas shall be planted with an effective combination of trees, grass, berms, ground-cover, lawn, shrubbery and/or approved dry decorative landscape material.”
  
  

• 9.08.030(G) requires “Landscaping in the required front yard shall cover no less than 50% of that yard.” 

Council may choose to direct staff to suspend the enforcement of certain residential landscaping codes during the water emergency or may choose to amend the Municipal Code to remove the requirements for front yard paving and landscaping.

There is no financial impact.

City Council could direct staff to:

• Suspend enforcement of residential properties with landscaping of crushed rock or cement pavers which exceed the maximum allowed per code and to cease the enforcement of the minimum amount of vegetation required by code until the conclusion of the current water emergency; or
  
  
• Take other action to amend or modify the minimum landscape percentage in the front yard area.