In Broomfield, 60-70% of the annual water supply is applied to outdoor uses, and much of this water is used to irrigate high-water use turfgrass (City and County of Broomfield, 2023). In the face of a hotter and drier future, installing landscapes with lower water demands and efficient irrigation systems in new development and redevelopment is one of the community’s biggest opportunities to improve water supply resilience (City and County of Broomfield, 2023).

As part of Western Resource Advocates and WaterNow AlIiance’s Project Accelerator Program, in October 2023, the City and County of Broomfield adopted new landscape requirements for new development and redevelopment. The new regulations took effect on January 1, 2024, and apply to:

• All new construction, including residential and non-residential;
• All construction projects that cumulatively increase the gross floor area of the property by 65% or more;
• Any total redevelopment of a parcel that includes demolition and new construction;
• Construction of parking lots containing 10 or more spaces; or
• Expansion of an existing parking lot by more than either 10 spaces or 50% of the existing parking lot area, whichever is greater (City and County of Broomfield, 2023).

While the previous code included some provisions for water-efficient landscapes, the code still allowed for up to 60% of residential lots to use turfgrass, lacked requirements for waterwise plant species, and included references to out-of-date irrigation technology. Importantly, the previous landscaping code was only applicable to residential development. The new regulations serve to modernize the previous code and to further reduce per acre outdoor water use in new development and redevelopment. The new code limits cool season turfgrass to a maximum of 30% for residential coverage and states that any included cool season grass must be a hybridized lower water use turfgrass like Dogtuff or Tahoma. The case also includes new standards for commercial and industrial development, among others.