Eligible Customers:
Commercial/business properties, homeowners associations, multifamily properties, churches, and schools that are City of Mesa water customers who use potable water to irrigate common area landscaping are eligible. The applicant must be the owner.
Proof of authority to sign on behalf of the property is required. Authorized representative must supply City of Mesa with a corporate resolution or copy of board minutes to prove legal authority to act on behalf of the applicant organization.
Program Requirements:
1. Funding. Funding has been provided by/contributed by the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona and implemented through the City of Mesa. Annual program continuation is not guaranteed, and applications are subject to funding availability.
2. Projects. This program is for future grass removal and conversion projects only.
3. Minimum Size. Applicant must plan to remove a minimum of 2,500 square feet of grass and comply with the detailed program requirements listed in this document for that landscaped area.
4. Incentive Amount. The incentive offered is $2/square foot of grass removed per all approvals. The maximum incentive for each property is $50,000 for Grass-to-Xeriscape in a 12-month period.
5. Grass Condition. Grass must be relatively healthy at time of application and initial inspection. Under this program ‘healthy’ shall be defined as routinely irrigated and manicured with an average coverage of 70 percent (70%). Partial acceptance of grassy areas is possible, per discretion of the City of Mesa at time of initial inspection. Areas of grass that are a mix of poor and healthy may qualify for partial inclusion in the conversion area. For example, a park with a total of 5,000 square feet of grass that only has 3,000 square feet of healthy grass may qualify for the 3,000 square feet, while the 2,000 square feet of grass in poor health would be ineligible.
6. Ineligible Grass. Any grass areas that are watered by wells or flood irrigation water are not eligible. Only landscapes watered by potable water that can be measured through a City of Mesa water meter are eligible.
7. Pre-Inspection. City of Mesa Environmental and Sustainability Department (ESD) staff must inspect the property before work begins (no grass can be removed before City of Mesa approval).
8. Area Measurement. ESD staff will measure the area via Maricopa County Assessor’s website maps and/or in person inspections. These measurements will be considered final. Measurements provided by the applicant will be reviewed but will not be the final measurement used for the incentive calculation. Eligible reimbursement includes areas for which the property is responsible to water and maintain as required by landscape contracts or law.
9. Replacement Plants. The converted grass area must be replaced with low-water-use plants that, when fully mature, will provide a plant canopy coverage of at least 50 percent (50%) of the area (grass cannot be replaced with just artificial turf or rock). All new plants must be on the Arizona Department of Water Resources Low-Water-Use/Drought-Tolerant Plant List. A subset of all allowable low-water-use plants is available in a user-friendly format at www.amwua.org/plants. Adding any high water use plants (not on the Low-Water-Use Plant List) is prohibited. The trunks and stems of new or existing low-water-use trees and plants must be located in the ground in the converted area to count towards the coverage requirement.
Two plants from the Low-Water-Use Plant List are not allowed in this program because they are considered invasive: Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum) and African Sumac (Rhus lancea).
10. Canopy Calculation. Plant canopy square footage (coverage) is calculated with the formula for area of a circle. Individual plant canopy coverage amounts for most eligible plants at maturity are available on the Plant Square Footage Calculator (click on “Commercial Customers”).
11. Plant Size. Shrubs, groundcovers, and accent plants will be no less than 1 gallon in size at installation. Trees must be a minimum of 15 gallon in size at installation. More details are available in the Mesa Zoning Ordinance (MZO) Section 11-33. Existing trees, to remain, will count toward these requirements.
12. Unallowed Items. Spray irrigation and non-pervious materials (such as black plastic sheeting) are not permitted in the converted area. A concrete surface cannot take up more than 25 percent (25%) of the converted area.
13. Mulch. The new landscape must be covered with a minimum of a 2” deep layer of organic or inorganic mulch (such as granite or rock). Other materials may qualify.
14. Right-of-Way. Adjacent right-of-way areas may qualify. Additional processes, permits, and reviews will be required. Eligible reimbursement includes areas for which the applicant is responsible to maintain right-of-way as required by CCRs, landscape contracts, or law.
15. Conflicting Authority. The grass removal or installation of the Xeriscape must not conflict with other City of Mesa landscaping requirements as prescribed by existing codes, ordinances, policies or procedures.
16. W-9 Form. Applicant must supply a W-9 form with taxpayer identification number (TIN) and/or EIN to receive payment.
17. Pre-Work Approval. Once all approvals are granted by City of Mesa, applicant will receive notification of approval and a notice to proceed. Work cannot begin until this approval is granted.
18. Work Period. Applicant has 6 months or 180 calendar days to complete the project once all City of Mesa approvals are issued. Failure to follow this schedule will result in disqualification.
19. Smart Controller. Applicant is strongly encouraged to install a smart controller if one is not in use already. Check out the Irrigation Equipment Incentives section for eligible equipment and incentives.
20. Maximum Payment. Maximum of $50,000 per property per 12-month period.
21. Historic Areas. Historic area requirements may apply.
22. LID. Please consider using low impact development (“LID” – the beneficial use of stormwater) in your design.
23. Dust Control. Applicant shall take appropriate measures to ensure dust is controlled during the landscape project. Maricopa County Air Quality may require a permit.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
1. Applicant must be owner of the property and a City of Mesa water customer.
2. The property entity must have a unique tax ID number or taxpayer identification number.
3. The applicant/authorized representative must be verified and proof of authorization will be required.
