NLV council approves ordinance cutting turf area by half

Diana Sahagun

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2000 | 11:09 a.m.

The grass won't be any greener on new North Las Vegas homes, thanks to a new ordinance which halves the amount of turf allowed on front yards.

The North Las Vegas City Council unanimously approved the turf reduction ordinance Wednesday night, following the lead of Clark County and the city of Las Vegas, which have passed similar ordinances.

The ordinance, which was pushed by the Southern Nevada Water Authority in an effort to promote water conservation, will affect only new developments and allows just half of a front yard to be landscaped with grass.

The ordinance also prohibits turf for public facilities except for schools, parks and cemeteries, and limits the use of grass in commercial zones to 25 percent. It will also limit golf courses to having an average of 5 acres of grass per hole.

The measure calls for more desert landscaping -- called xeriscaping -- to replace turf. Such desert vegetation requires significantly less water than grass.

Councilman William Robinson said the ordinance is a double-edged sword, because it saves water but also tells homeowners what to do on their private property.

"First of all, a homeowner pays for their home ... and you should have the right to do what you want with your home," he said. "However, if we don't conserve water, there's the possibility there could be a water shortage."

The North Las Vegas council also inserted a waiver for special situations and an allowance for more turf -- up to 40 percent -- for multifamily developments instead of 30 percent.

City staff said one of the "special situations" could include the city's proposed 7,500-acre master-planned community. Staff members want to have the option of increasing the amount of greenery in the area.

Amy Kremenek, a spokeswoman for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said in the first year of the city's turf-reduction ordinance, North Las Vegas will save 36 million gallons of water. In five years the city will have saved 541 million gallons, assuming a continuation of the current average of 2,100 new homes built each year, she said.

When the ordinance was approved by the planning commission in June, commissioner Tom Langford cast the lone vote against the ordinance, saying that individual homeowners should have right to determine what to do with their property.

"I believe that anyone who buys a house ... if they're spending money they should be able to put in what they want," he said.