Park City’s landscape incentive program offers qualified property owners $3 for every square foot of turf grass replaced with landscaping that uses less water.
Waterwise landscaping is defined in the city’s code as the use of drought-tolerant plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation that reduces the need for supplemental watering.
Under the incentive program, single family homes can receive up to $15,000. Commercial businesses and multi-family buildings max out at $75,000.
To qualify, at least half of a property’s landscape must be vegetative in order to prevent what are called heat islands. These toasty areas, like sidewalks and parking lots, absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes.
Rock cover cannot be more than 20% of the new ground cover and artificial turf is not allowed.
Park City water department analyst Susan Cordone says the first step in the process is to set up a site visit so property owners can ask questions and learn more about the city’s list of approved plants.
“A lot of people are unsure about how to remove turf,” Cordone said. “There are a variety of ways that you can, depends on the timing, how quickly you’re going to do the project. The plant list is definitely a hot topic because of our unique altitude and the way plants grow here. So I always suggest folks walk around, look at plants that are thriving in the neighborhoods, plants they love, take pictures of them, see if they’re on the list.”
The project area must be greater than 250 square feet to qualify for the incentive program. Proposed changes also must comply with the city’s land management code and are subject to review by the planning department.
More details and information about scheduling a site visit can be found here.
