Supporters argue the plastic grass should be allowed in light of the city’s water restrictions, which make it hard to keep traditional grass green.
Water officials also support artificial turf. Many members of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, including Crescenta Valley, offer residents rebates for swapping out their live grass.
But opponents contend there are other natural landscaping options for California’s dry climate, such as drought-tolerant plants, and question the safety or health effects of the synthetic material.
Planning Department officials organized the City Hall turf display in hopes of allowing the community to see the material up close and provide input before the issue returns to the City Council in coming months.
“There are people with a whole range of views,” said Planning Director Hassan Haghani. “It’s a pretty divisive issue.”
Three artificial-turf vendors agreed to install three products each in dirt squares of about 3 feet by 3 feet in the City Hall outdoor plaza. The first squares went in last week, with the remaining six scheduled to be installed in coming weeks.
Councilman Ara Najarian, who has pushed for allowing artificial turf in front yards since the issue was addressed in February, said he was impressed by the high quality of the products installed so far.
“I hope my colleagues get a chance to see for themselves the state-of-the-art quality of artificial turf,” he said.
Haghani encouraged residents to come to City Hall to check out the material for themselves.
“Any member of the public who is interested is welcome to come check it out and give us their input as we go through the next several months of having this on display,” he said.
Get in touch MELANIE HICKEN covers City Hall. She may be reached at (818) 637-3235 or by e-mail at melanie.hicken@ latimes.com.
