As California prepares to crack down on popular car dealership grass landscaping, Del Grande Dealer Group is ahead of the curve.
Over the past two years, the group has converted most of its 18 stores to low-water landscapes, combining drought-tolerant plants with subsurface irrigation that automatically turns off when rain is forecast. With 15 stores now complete, three more are scheduled to be converted before the larger conservation project is completed.
The benefits of replacing more than 50,000 square feet of grass with native flowers and landscaping include an estimated $23,000 in annual water savings across the group and $116,000 in rebates through local programs. But just as important to Del Grande is the estimated 2.3 million gallons of annual water savings in the Northern California communities it serves.
“We did this project in the middle of a drought, and people weren’t watering their lawns at the time, and that was really the focus,” said Jeremy Beaver, CEO of the Silicon Valley dealer group. “We’re very aware of being good community members, and that fits into our whole strategy.”
While the drought has been eased by ample winter rains, regulations are tightening in anticipation of another dry spell. Under the Water Conservation Act signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2023, California will prohibit all commercial and industrial facilities from using drinking water for ornamental grass beginning January 1, 2028.
“All that grass was basically just for show,” Beaver said. “It didn’t do anything and it took a lot of water.” With locals being asked to step up conservation efforts, Del Grande wanted to do his part before the regulation deadline and teamed up with local water districts and landscape designer Alpine Landscapes, he said.
Sure, Beaver added, the upfront costs of the current project are significant. But in the long run, Del Grande will recoup its initial investment and save money on water bills and landscaping for decades.
There are other benefits for the dealer group, says Brian Burke, compliance and facilities manager for Del Grande. Maintaining the grass cover with overhead sprinklers, as Del Grande had done in the past, added to the expense.
“For the automotive group, there's a lot of negatives to using sprinklers because you're spraying cars and you're leaving hard water stains on your vehicles,” Burke said. “Not only are you wasting water spraying your car, you're also having to wash it, which is more water, more time, more labor.”
Replacing broken sprinklers and constantly mowing the grass adds to the cost of maintaining a lawn, he said.
The beautification project also significantly updated the 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 lawn at all of the group's dealerships. The city median uses the same beautification theme, as does another dealership not owned by Del Grande.
“We tried to capture the yellow and blue colors to match our logo and tie it all together,” Burke said. “It's more inviting, it adds a lot of color to the dealership and it draws customers in.” Native plants also emit less heat than grass, and larger plants provide shade.
Del Grande could have taken a less expensive route to complying with California regulations by using artificial turf or rock in its landscaping, as some other dealers have done, Bourke said. But that wouldn't have been consistent with its philosophy of doing more for its customers and community partners.
“We always try to be ahead of the curve in everything we can in our business, and this is another great example,” Burke said. “While we typically focus on technology and the guest experience, it’s great that our team knows that our water conservation efforts matter to the greater good because we’re going to save millions of gallons.”