Cottonwood Shores making bid for Dark Sky designation with ordinance updates
The city of Cottonwood Shores is trying to bring its Dark Sky Lighting ordinance into full alignment with DarkSky International guidelines, four years after the ordinance was adopted in 2021 to cut down on light pollution and enhance the night sky.
While the ordinance remains active and enforceable, Cottonwood Shores has not yet received official DarkSky recognition because the city’s regulations do not fully meet standards. Only seven communities in Texas are official Dark Sky Communities, including Cottonwood Shores’ neighbor, Horseshoe Bay, which received the honor in 2015.
A Dark Sky Community is a town or city recognized for minimizing light pollution through responsible lighting and public education to protect the night sky. The main way to become compliant is by adopting and enforcing outdoor lighting ordinances that require fully shielded, low-brightness, and energy-efficient lights to reduce unnecessary nighttime lighting.
City Secretary Bobby Herrin said Cottonwood Shores is working closely with DarkSky International to make improvements to the outdoor lighting ordinance, but the process takes time and careful coordination.
“All in all, people are complying (with regulations),” Herrin told DailyTrib.com.
He noted that residents have largely responded positively to the changes.
Recent updates suggested by DarkSky International, formerly the International Dark-Sky Association, are “minor,” according to Herrin, including corrections to diagrams and about five pages of revised criteria. The city is reviewing these changes as it prepares another round of updates to the ordinance, which will be voted on during the City Council’s Oct. 2 meeting.
A decision was postponed during the council’s last meeting on Sept. 18.
“It was mostly little grammatical items (DarkSky) added in, and in some places they added in ‘Dark Sky.’ That was all they had,” City Manager J.C. Hughes said at the meeting. “It was very minor.”
While the changes are a step in the right direction to becoming an official Dark Sky Community, the designation is not guaranteed. It will likely take several more adjustments and a sponsorship from a current member of DarkSky International to receive the title.
Cottonwood Shores introduced its Dark Sky Lighting ordinance in response to complaints from residents that excessive outdoor lighting obstructed nighttime views. Many voiced frustration that they could no longer “see the stars,” especially after a new water tower equipped with bright lights was built. To address the concerns, city officials began drafting a more comprehensive policy aimed at reducing light pollution.
The current ordinance sets specific guidelines for outdoor lighting, particularly for new construction, which is required to immediately comply. Existing residential properties were “grandfathered in” at the time of 2021 adoption, allowing for a phased-in compliance timeline—five years for general cases and up to 10 years for certain fixtures that met specific requirements.
Under Cottonwood Shores’ Dark Sky ordinance, outdoor lighting must be fully shielded and directed downward and should not emit light above the horizontal plane. High-wattage fixtures and lights aimed upward or outward are discouraged or prohibited. The city also requires commercial and nonresidential properties to submit lighting plans and comply with reduced lighting output after business hours.
Enforcement is handled by the city’s department of public safety. Violations can result in a $500 fine per offense, with each day of non-compliance treated as a separate violation. Residents found in violation may be referred to code enforcement for further action.
I certainly hope more and more cities and HOA’s start to adopt Darksky policies.