Newport Hills Community Association

 NEWPORT HILLS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

ARTIFICIAL TURF GUIDELINES

 Artificial Turf

The Newport Hills Community Association Architectural Committee and Board of Directors would like to strongly encourage homeowners to use drought tolerant plant materials over use of artificial turf for environmental, cost, and esthetic reasons.  Drought tolerant plant materials and artificial turf may be installed in front, side, and rear yards after receipt of written approval by the ARC.  All ARC approvals of artificial turf are made on a case-by-case basis.

Required product specifications:

 · Minimum pile height of 1.5 (one and one-half) inches;

· Minimum pile weight of 45 ounces per yard;

· Minimum 10-year “No Fade” warranty;

· One-year installation/workmanship warranty;

· 100% UV protection

Artificial turf must:

· Have a realistic appearance (with variable colors and blade height) and be indistinguishable from natural turf, from a pedestrian’s perspective;

· Be adequately secured, with no ripples or seams showing;

· Have finished turf edges;

· Be separated from other planting areas by mow strips to prevent intrusion of living plant material into the area of artificial turf;

· Be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions/recommendations, including a weed barrier and a properly prepared aggregate base for drainage;

· Have an adequate base and drainage as defined by the manufacturer under the turf;

· Be maintained on an on-going basis to ensure an appearance that mimics real, live turf to the greatest extent feasible;

· Be kept free of weeds, debris, tears, holes, dents;

· Be regularly maintained to ensure an attractive appearance.

Artificial turf shall not:

· Serve as a major focal point for front yard landscaping;

· Be installed immediately adjacent to the house or other structure;

· Be applied over concrete, dirt, or existing turf;

· Be installed immediately adjacent to regular “living” turf;

· Be installed on slopes;

· Be installed in the parkway strip.

Integration into landscape design:

· Natural turf, drought tolerant plant material, or a combination of hardscape materials and natural turf or plant material must be used in parkway strips.  Please contact the City of Newport Beach to obtain a current copy of the approved plant palette and hardscape options for parkway strips.  Any changes in the parkway strip must be approved by the ARC and the City of Newport Beach, as the parkway strip is owned by the City and located in the public right-of-way.

· Artificial turf cannot be installed within 18” of the sidewalk.  Living plant material must be planted densely in this 18” area and must be maintained at a minimum height of 6” at installation. 

· Living plant material (i.e. flower beds, tree wells, groundcover beds, etc.) shall include shrubs, vines, trees and flowering groundcovers, and shall consist of at least 30% of the landscape area.  This must be documented in the architectural application.

· Artificial shrubs, flowers, trees, and vines in lieu of living plant material are prohibited.

· Indoor/outdoor plastic or nylon carpeting is prohibited as a landscape element.

Maintenance:

· If artificial turf is not maintained in accordance with community standards, the homeowner will be asked to remove and replace it with new artificial turf or standard “living” turf.

· Infill must be recharged or replaced if odor or deterioration occurs.

· Turf must be cleaned and the pile raked/fluffed periodically to maintain its appearance.

· The Association reserves the right to require replacement of artificial turf at any time its appearance has deteriorated to a point of looking worn out.

Submittal Requirements:

The architectural application for artificial turf installation shall include:

· Completed and executed application, neighbor awareness form, and review deposit;

· Site plan showing the area of installation;

· Site photographs of the area of installation;

· Manufacturer’s brochure

· Minimum 1’ x 1’ square sample of the proposed turf material to be used;

· Description of the turf specifications;

·Description of the method of installation

1900 Port Carlow Place, Newport Beach, Ca 92660