Photo by Bob Wick for the Bureau of Land Management from Space Tourism Guide, by Valerie Stimac
Bruce Schaepe, SBHOA2 ALC Co-Chair
The SaddleBrooke TWO Architecture and Landscaping Committee (ALC) is proud to announce a major milestone in our journey to make SaddleBrooke TWO a fully compliant Dark Sky Community. Dark Sky means that outdoor lighting meets our needs for artificial light at night in outdoor spaces while protecting the integrity of natural, nighttime conditions to the greatest practical extent. After more than a year of dedicated effort, we have reached compliance with the Dark Sky lighting standards as defined in the ALC Guidelines throughout nearly 100% of the residential lots in SaddleBrooke TWO.
Our campaign began in October of 2024 with a well-attended educational presentation at DesertView Theater featuring collaboration with the SaddleBrooke One ALC and our local Dark Sky International advocate Sam Miller. The presentation was recorded and has since been viewed almost 900 times, helping spread awareness throughout our community. That presentation is still available in the ALC section of the SaddleBrooke TWO website
Beginning in January of 2025, the ALC partnered with the Patrol to inspect every home in SaddleBrooke TWO for non-compliant, street-visible lighting after 10 p.m. The Patrol observed all the 3,200-plus homes in SaddleBrooke TWO, except for those in The Preserve and Unit 50, which were assumed to be already compliant, thanks to developer-installed downward-facing fixtures. For the remaining homes, the Patrol identified 203 with potential issues (6.3% of SaddleBrooke TWO were found non-compliant). The ALC sent informational emails to the non-compliant homeowners, encouraging simple changes—without imposing fines or deadlines.
During the same time that the Patrol was looking at the lights, we reinforced the Dark Sky message in the weekly “Monday Message,” emphasizing the importance of compliance and community cooperation.
By June of 2025, after allowing time for homeowner adjustments, a follow-up inspection of the 203 non-compliant homes indicated that all but 79 had reached compliance. While this was a remarkable achievement, the ALC remained committed to reaching 100%. In August of 2025 we sent another round of communications to the final 79 homes, this time including a warning of possible fines for continued non-compliance.
Our efforts paid off quickly: 17 homeowners contacted the ALC office and became compliant within days. We also worked with the HOA in Units 35/35A to suggest improvements to their non-compliant light fixtures. In October less than 10 of the original 203 homes were observed to be out of compliance, most of which were later resolved. Based on those observations, with more than 3,200 homes in our community, we are proud to report over 99% compliance with Dark Sky rules.
This success is a testament to the power of education, clear communication, and community spirit. Notably, we achieved these results without issuing a single fine. We thank all SaddleBrooke TWO homeowners for their cooperation and encourage everyone to continue supporting our Dark Sky goals by keeping their lights off after 10 p.m. or by using Dark Sky-compliant light fixtures.
Thank you for making SaddleBrooke TWO a shining example of what we can accomplish together!
Sincerely,
The SaddleBrooke TWO ALC
Image credit: Bob Wick for BLM from Space Tourism Guide by Valerie Stimac