Rebate program helps HOAs become grand-scale water savers

Photo: Landscape renovations of the common area of the 49-home Mall III Lake San Marcos Homeowners Assocation included the removal of 5,000 square feet of turf. Rebates covered the entire $96,000 cost of the project. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Company of experts, partnering with San Diego County Water Authority, acts as ‘concierge’ helping 49-home group tackle complicated sustainable landscape makeover

The bowl-shaped common space at the Mall III Homeowners Association property in Lake San Marcos was once a pricey, turf-heavy problem for its HOA board. After a water-smart landscape upgrade, it’s now a point of pride that’s easier on the budget.

The transformation, made possible in part by incentives offered through a San Diego County Water Authority rebate program, is one that local officials hope will inspire other similar communities.

The 49-home property has an intimate feel, with homes in a horseshoe around the common area that extends to the tip of the lake and its dock. But like many other common areas in HOAs across the county, it had turf that required a lot of water and fertilizer to keep it green. That presented a two-pronged problem: Not only was that water expensive, the runoff from rain and irrigation was polluting the lake.

For at least 10 years, the board had tried to remodel the area and, more recently, tried to take advantage of rebate programs. The struggle, said board member Mike Kesler, was that the homeowners couldn’t agree on change.

“A lot of people love the grass,” he said, “and others couldn’t agree on what to do with the space if the grass was removed. They’re older, and that’s what they grew up with.”

But by 2022, the five-member board was determined to act. They had solicited ideas from fellow residents to understand what was important to them. One thing that stood out was the tree issue: The people at the top of the horseshoe didn’t want more trees, said Kesler, because they wanted to keep their view of the lake; others did want trees. No one wanted all the grass removed.

A lead from regular caretaker WatersEdge Landscape linked them to Megan Chery at Environmental Incentives, a business that focuses on conservation and sustainable landscapes.

Environmental Incentives, which is contracted with San Diego County to provide a “landscape optimization service” (LOS), helps applicants with large landscapes — think HOAs and commercial properties — navigate the rebate application process and identify qualified vendors. Instead of HOAs having to apply for the many potential rebates offered, Chery and her colleagues can take that on, and the county pays for the assistance. Scott Norris, land use planning manager with the county of San Diego Land Use and Environment Group, refers to LOS as a “concierge service.”

The board made several presentations to the homeowners on the design plan, a collaboration with Chery and Environmental Services partner Monarch Environmental. With some compromises on turf, the plan kept a stretch of grass on the bottom, a big stretch of grass and golf greens at the top, and a border of grass on the outside rim. Mall III already had a bit of a natural retention feature, given the common area’s bowl shape. The landscape designer expanded it, making it longer and wide so that water can soak into the ground instead of flowing into the lake.

“There are 49 member households and each household gets two votes,” said Kesler. “Out of 98 votes, we got 86 yes votes, so it was very well received. And because we negotiated the work and the rebates so there would be no out-of-pocket costs for the members, it was a pretty easy decision for everybody.”

The board got six bids from landscape contractors suggested by Chery and selected O’Connell Landscaping. Rains delayed the project until March 2023, but by mid-May, it was complete. The rebates — totaling about $96,000, the cost of the project — each came in by mid-October. Not only that, the HOA’s water bill has dropped from $12,000 a year to […]

Full article: www.sandiegouniontribune.com