Water is a precious commodity in this area. As the number of homes being built increases, the demand for water supply increases accordingly. Landscaping requirements of some covenants and homeownersí associations play a part in the increased demand for water.In Woodmen Hills, several of the filings require landscaping. The covenants for filings 1 through 6 and filing 10 declare that ìall yards and open spaces shall be landscaped and thereafter maintained.îIn parts of filing 9, 50 percent of the front yard must be landscaped. If the occupant owns the land between the sidewalk and the curb, that strip of land must be landscaped in addition to 50 percent of the front yard. In other parts of filing 9, and filings 9b, 9c and 9d, all portions of a building site not used for improvements must have long-lived ground cover such as sod, shrubs and trees, up to a maximum of 2,500 square feet of irrigated sod and/or landscaping. In addition to the covenants, homeownersí associations at Parkside Courtyards and Metropolitan Club have the authority to impose landscaping requirements. However, David Stiver of Team Strategy Inc., which operates the homeowners association for Metropolitan Club, said in Metropolitan Club, the covenants are more open and his organization is flexible in working with homeowners.In Meridian Ranch, only Stonebridge has a homeowners association, which has the authority to impose landscaping requirements. The remainder of the subdivision is governed by covenants enforced by design review councils. The covenants for filing 1 state that all yards and open space on the lot must be landscaped and thereafter maintained. However, filings 1 and 4 promote water conservation. These covenants quote Meridian Service Metropolitan District’s recommendation of a maximum of 2,500 feet of landscaped, spray irrigated area. The covenants state that the cost per gallon of water increases for areas in excess of 2,500 feet, and they recommend the use of plant material, irrigation systems and practices to minimize over spraying and waste. The use of artificial turf in filings 1 and 4 is prohibited. Property owners in those two filings are required to maintain a landscape between the curb and their property line.
