WELO: What Every Architect Should Know (Part 3)
In our first post about WELO, we described what a water-efficient landscape ordinance is and when it applies. In our second post, we explored the types of documentation the Architect will need for the two different types of submittal packages. In this third and final post, we’ll discuss what goes into the production of a WELO set, and what the Architect can do to make the process as smooth as possible.
This exceptional water-efficient landscape in Palo Alto was achieved through conscientious planning.
Who can prepare WELO documentation?
Even if your project qualifies for the streamlined Prescriptive Compliance Option (which you might need to search for outside the municipal code—the Town of Los Altos Hills details it in their Landscape Design Guidelines), you’ll need at least a rudimentary landscape design including plant material and irrigation components, plus the signature of a licensed Landscape Architect, Landscape Contractor, or other “person authorized to design a landscape.”
(By the way: who is “authorized to design a landscape”? Good question—it’s a vague description many agencies have interpreted to include unlicensed landscape designers. However, other cities such as Palo Alto have eliminated the phrase from their WELO, allowing only a licensed Landscape Architect or Landscape Contractor to create the landscape design.)
If your project must satisfy the more complex documentation required by the Performance Pathway, your consultant requirements multiply quickly. As previously described, you will need a soil testing lab for the Soil Management Plan component, a licensed Landscape Architect or Landscape Contractor (or other “authorized” person) for the Landscape Design and Irrigation Design plans, and a licensed professional such as a Landscape Architect or Civil Engineer for the Grading Design Plan.
Many Architects find that a licensed Landscape Architect is the easiest single point of contact to fulfill all of their WELO documentation requirements. The Landscape Architect may in turn utilize a soil scientist, irrigation designer, or Civil Engineer in order to deliver a fully developed WELO set that will pass plan check with minimal or no comments.
How long does WELO documentation take to produce?
Think months, not weeks.
Much as the Architect follows a methodical process of research, design, and documentation, the Landscape Architect begins their work with a programming phase before progressing through schematic design, design development, and contract documents.
In our practice, this is nonnegotiable to achieve a custom landscape that responds appropriately to the site, fulfills the owner’s needs, complements thoughtful architecture, and meets municipal requirements.
Of course, although the design process can’t be shortcut, there may be creative ways to avoid or defer a WELO submittal. The Town of Atherton allows their WELO permit to be deferred by completing a short form; although a WELO permit must still be obtained prior to installing the landscaping or irrigation system, this deferral can buy the Architect and homeowner some welcome time.
Additionally, recall that according to the state MWELO, submittals are triggered by a project including (a) a permit, plan check, or design review and (b) a minimum area of new or rehabilitated landscaping. If either of those criteria is not met, MWELO documentation is not required. Your city or town may have stricter criteria than this, but if you are able to exclude the landscaping scope from your project, you may be able to avoid a WELO submittal.
Our office occasionally fields calls from harried home owners or Architects hoping we can quickly design a “placeholder” landscape to pass WELO, and refine the final landscape design over time. This approach is best suited to a smaller project eligible for the Prescriptive Pathway, which could potentially be completed in weeks depending on the project scope.
Otherwise, since agencies inspect the implementation of the WELO design just as they inspect the construction of the building, there really is no such thing as a “placeholder” landscape plan any more than there are “placeholder” architectural plans.
We maintain that if a home owner is investing the time (and expense) to design a custom home, they likely will be dissatisfied with anything less than a bespoke landscape. And just as the Architect would not design an exceptional custom home with generic details, the Landscape Architect would not surround that home with cookie-cutter planting schemes. So we strongly encourage Architects and owners to engage a Landscape Architect who is a good fit for the project early in the design process to yield the best results.
We hope this series has shed some light on how Architects can most successfully advise their clients and navigate WELO submittal requirements. Although complying with a water efficiency ordinance can be complex and time-consuming, the skilled Landscape Architect will help you not only obtain your permit but in the process create a sustainable and enduring landscape befitting your exceptional architecture.