Dark Skies & Casitas Lighting

Rams Hill Dark Skies Policy

Borrego Springs is a designated dark skies community, and the Rams Hill Community, which includes the Casitas neighborhood, observes a ‘dark skies’ policy for the benefit of the observatory at Palomar Mountain. All porch lights and other outside lights should be turned off by 10:00 p.m. whenever possible. No outside lights should be left on overnight.” (Page 2 of the RHCA Rules and Regulations)

Casitas Common Area Lighting Policy

Because the Casitas neighborhood is unique in its layout, the Casitas Association is required to have pathway lighting and map stands for safety purposes to help assist first responders in locating the units. From time to time, you may even see fire responders visiting the neighborhood for training purposes and using these map stands for reference. These lights are operated by photocells and turn on at dusk and off at dawn.

If you notice any issues with the pathway or map stand lighting, or if you need to report a casitas unit that is leaving their exterior lights on overnight, please contact the HOA management office at [email protected].

Casitas Lighting Standard

The Casitas neighborhood has an exterior lighting standard, which was adopted in 2015. The clear glass globes cannot be replaced with like kind because of the Casitas Dark Sky Policy. We encourage homeowners to replace the original globe lights, as they are able, with the specified ceramic sconces. Please see the product information below:

Exterior Wall Lights: Outdoor ceramic wall sconces

Medium Flared Dome Wall Sconce with Slots (SKU: S-DMF-S), available from LightStylesofSantaFe.com.

Once you have installed your new, approved wall sconce(s), please contact the HOA management office at [email protected] to have the HOA paint the sconce(s) the same color as your casita exterior at no charge.