Shandel Sutherland • September 6, 2025
Rams Hill Builds for Borrego Springs
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Community Gathers for Historic Groundbreaking Ceremony
Attainable Homes Planned for Borrego Springs
In case you missed the Borrego Community Builders press release, here’s our overview of the August 27, 2025 groundbreaking event where Borrego Community Builders — a Rams Hill initiative — broke ground on its first model home at 1446 Sewanee Drive. This milestone marks a significant step toward creating attainable housing for Borrego Springs families and essential workers.
A Testament to Community Support
Rodney Bruce, Rams Hill / Borrego Community Builders Director of Development & Construction, welcomed attendees and noted the strong turnout despite the August heat.
“When we talked about throwing this event in August, someone told me we’d be lucky to get 10 people here. But looking around, there’s a lot more than 10 — and I think that’s a testament to how important this issue really is,” he said.
It was a well-attended event, with folding chairs set out for the crowd, seats filled, and more community members standing to listen — a clear sign of how deeply the housing issue resonates in Borrego Springs. Bruce described the model home as a milestone for workforce and attainable housing that will provide lower-cost options for the community in the future.
A Vision Beyond Rams Hill
Rams Hill CEO Shannon Smith reflected on how the housing vision began in 2019, when the company first put Borrego Springs Resort under contract.
“We started to hear the issues about Airbnb homes replacing long-term rentals and the need for additional housing,” Smith said.
The project’s design is focused on both affordability and sustainability. Homes will integrate solar panels, battery storage, and thick straw bale walls for energy efficiency.
“We thought about the total cost of homeownership — not just the mortgage payment, but energy bills too,” Smith explained. “Our goal is to bring monthly costs into the $1,400 to $1,700 range, making ownership realistic for local families.”
Smith emphasized that Borrego Community Builders is not a profit-making venture:
“This is not about business opportunity. This is about giving back to the community.”
Community Advisory Committee
Project spokesperson Gabriela Dow introduced the newly formed Community Advisory Committee, which brings together Borrego Springs leadership and local voices to ensure transparency and community priorities are reflected.
“We want to make sure everything is fully transparent,” Dow said. “Our advisory members will help us ensure the information we provide is clear, accurate, and inclusive for the whole community.”
Housing Needs at the Forefront
Martha Deichler, Executive Director of the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center and active with the Borrego Ministers Association, spoke about the urgent housing shortage in Borrego Springs.
“The question I get asked the most is, ‘Do you know where I could rent a house?’” she said. “When Airbnbs took over, many families were forced to move away, and that impacted our schools and jobs. Housing is huge.”
Deichler praised the project as “a huge benefit to the community,” adding:
“These homes will give people a chance to afford to live here and build equity. To buy a house would cement their permanency in Borrego.”
Community Leaders in Attendance
The groundbreaking drew broad community participation beyond the Advisory Committee, with residents, partners, and local organizations showing their support. The strong turnout underscored how urgently Borrego Springs needs attainable housing and how widely the initiative is embraced across the community.
Q&A and Community Meet & Greet
Following the groundbreaking, attendees reconvened at Rams Hill for a Q&A session and casual meet-and-greet.
The Beginning of a Long-Term Effort
Smith closed the event with a reminder that this first build is just the beginning.
“Today is the beginning of a journey about how many different ways we will employ unique techniques to drive housing costs down,” he said.
For more updates on Borrego Community Builders and the homes they’re developing, visit BorregoCommunityBuilders.com.
Photos by Mariana Alvarez Photography
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