May 22, 2024

Landscape Design Resources Available for HOAs

With water efficiency-oriented legislation passed in recent years, Northern Water’s Sustainable Landscape Templates (SLTs) have become a great option to assist homeowners associations (HOAs) in meeting new requirements. Northern Water, along with Norris Design, developed the SLTs to offer water-wise, pollinator-friendly and low-flammability landscape options to those rebuilding in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire. However, the SLTs are also applicable to landscape renovation and new construction. With six different designs, each one can be adapted to fit different shapes and sizes of landscape to be used by HOAs as pre-approved landscape designs.  

In addition to the SLTs, Northern Water also offers residential rights-of-way, or street strips as Water-Wise Landscape Templates that can be used with minimal adaptation. 

In 2022, the Colorado Water Conservation Board created the state’s Turf Replacement Program through the passage of HB22-1151. The following year, the General Assembly passed SB23-178, which modifies homeowners associations’ ability to mandate that residents install high water-use plants in the front yards of detached residential homes. Most recently, earlier this year the General Assembly passed SB24-005 which bans the installation of highwater-use turf in rights-of-ways, parking lots and medians of new or redeveloped commercial developments and HOA common areas. While the Turf Replacement Program has been successfully funding landscape conversions since 2022, and the non-functional turf ban does not take effect until Jan.1, 2026, many HOAs are still working to implement SB23-178.   

In addition to restricting HOAs and residential Metro Districts from requiring high water-use turf on more than 20 percent of detached homes’ front yards, the legislation also requires HOAs to have at least three pre-approved water-wise landscape designs from which residents can choose to install in their front yards. Since landscapes in most communities come in many different shapes and sizes, having only three pre-approved landscape designs to suit the many conditions within a single neighborhood can be a challenge. Additionally, hiring a professional to create new landscape designs can be costly and an unplanned expense for HOAs.  

Northern Water provides12  water-wise landscape designs to HOAs so they can offer the pre-approved designs to their residents, per HB22-1151. If an HOA adopts one or more of the SLTs as a pre-approved design, those templates not selected can still be used by residents as inspiration for landscape change. However, it is important to note that plans not pre-approved by the HOA are still subject to the community’s traditional Architectural Review Committee approval process.  

Moving forward, Northern Water plans to produce additional low-water landscape designs to support the adoption of more water-efficient landscapes throughout the region.