Camarillo Will Consider Strict Landscape Measure : Homeowners: The ordinance would give residents one year to plant, irrigate and maintain their yards or face fines.

Increasingly concerned over unsightly yards in Camarillo, the City Council will consider strict new rules Wednesday that would give residents one year to landscape, irrigate and maintain their front and side yards or face civil fines.

The ordinance, which would amend the city’s zoning code, would force owners of new and previously owned homes to landscape those portions of their front and side yards visible from the sidewalks and streets.

The proposed rules also require that homeowners have lawn hoses or sprinkler systems, and that they maintain the landscaping--be it simply grass or the more decorative rocks and reflecting pools--once it is installed.

“It’s not a big problem now, but it could become one,” Mayor Michael Morgan said. “We have an increasing number of rentals in the city and it seems like we’re seeing a trend where the owners and tenants are starting to let things go.”

But Councilwoman Charlotte Craven said she could not support the ordinance as written.

“Don’t get me wrong. I think we should do those things that encourage people to take better care of their properties,” Craven said. “However, I just think this delves too far into people’s lives.”

Craven--who said she was not sure if her own cactus-filled, Xeriscaped front yard violated the terms of the proposed code amendment--said that often first- and second-time homeowners have difficulty financing the expense of landscaping.

“A lot of people throw every penny they have into their homes and often have little or nothing left over for the yard,” Craven said. “I think we should be sensitive to this because it’s a reality.”

Robert Burrow, the city’s senior planning officer, said there are about 11,000 detached single-family homes in the city that would come under the ordinance.

If adopted by the council, owners of homes in recently built tracts would have one calendar year from the time their utility services were hooked up to comply with the law. All other homeowners in the city would have a year from the time the ordinance, if approved, is made effective Feb. 12.

Burrow said homeowners violating the proposed ordinance would be issued several warnings before being cited and fined.

“Our code enforcement officers work with residents so they will comply with an ordinance voluntarily,” Burrow said. “They will only write a citation as a last resort.”

City officials said citations would range from $100 for a first offense to $500 for a third offense. Fourth and subsequent citations are considered misdemeanors and carry $1,000 fines.

While the council is set to debate the code amendment Wednesday, Camarillo homeowners Janice Daurio and Paul Ford said they applaud the city’s effort to ensure that homeowners keep their properties landscaped and well-maintained.

“This requirement will do much to enhance the beauty of the city,” Daurio and Ford stated in a letter to city officials. “Careless, sloppy people who do not care about appearances will think twice before buying a home here.”