Del Grande dealerships get ahead of California turf crackdown with low-water landscaping

As California prepares a crackdown on the thirsty grass landscaping that's popular at car dealerships, Del Grande Dealer Group is running ahead of the curve.

Over the past two years, the group has converted most of its 18 stores to low-water landscaping, combining drought-resistant plants with subsurface irrigation that automatically shuts off when rain is forecast. With upgrades completed at 15 stores, just three more are slated for makeovers before the massive conservation project is complete.

The benefits of swapping out more than 50,000 square feet of grass with native flowers and landscaping include roughly $23,000 in annual water savings across the group and $116,000 in rebates through local programs. But just as important to Del Grande are the estimated 2.3 million gallons of annual water savings in the Northern California communities it serves.

"We did this project in the heart of the drought and at the time people were not watering lawns and it was a topic that was really top of mind," said Jeremy Beaver, CEO of the Silicon Valley dealership group. "We are very aware of being good community members and this goes with that entire strategy."

Although the drought has eased thanks to heavier winter rainfall, regulations are getting tougher in anticipation of the next dry spell. Under a water conservation law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2023, California will ban all commercial and industrial properties from using potable water on decorative grass on Jan. 1, 2028.

"Having all that grass was essentially just to look pretty," said Beaver. "It didn't do anything and it required a lot of water." As local residents were asked to step up their conservation efforts, Del Grande wanted to do its part before the regulatory deadline and partnered with local water districts and landscaper Alpine Landscapes, he said.

To be sure, Beaver added, the up-front costs for the ongoing project are significant. But over the long term, Del Grande will recover its initial investment and save money on water bills and landscape maintenance for decades.

There are other benefits for the dealership group, said Bryan Bourke, Del Grande's compliance and facilities manager. Maintaining grass turf with above-ground sprinklers, as Del Grande had done previously, generated additional costs.

"There's a lot of negatives for a car group with having sprinkler heads because you're watering cars and getting hard-water spots on your vehicles," Bourke said. "You're not only wasting water by spraying the car, you're then having to wash it, which is wasting more water and time and labor."

Replacing broken sprinkler heads and constantly mowing grass added to the costs of maintaining the turf, he said.

The landscaping project also significantly upgraded Capitol Expressway Auto Mall in San Jose, where Del Grande has nine of the strip's 12 stores. Colorful native flowers and grass have replaced the flat, green turf at all of the group's dealerships. A city-maintained median uses the same landscaping theme, as does another dealership not owned by Del Grande.

"We tried to capture the yellows and blues to kind of match our logo and tie it all together," said Bourke. "It's more attractive, it brings a lot of color to the auto mall and it draws customers." The native plants also radiate less heat than turf, and the large plants provide shade.

Del Grande could have chosen a less expensive route to comply with the California regulations by using artificial turf or rocks for its landscaping, as some other dealerships have done, Bourke said. But that wouldn't mesh with its philosophy of going the extra mile for its customers and community partners.

"We always try to stay ahead of the curve on everything in our business that we can and this is another solid example," Bourke said. "While normally our focus is on technology and guest experience, it's great that our team knows that our water conservation efforts mean something for the greater good with the millions of gallons we are going to save."