Horn Rapids: How Did We Get Here?
Let’s catch everyone up because a LOT of homeowners are only now finding out what has been quietly unfolding behind the scenes in Horn Rapids. And frankly, people are furious.
Not because lawsuits exist.
Not because development disagreements happen.
But because homeowners feel like they were intentionally kept in the dark while major decisions, legal disputes, and financial risks continued escalating around them.
And the deeper people dig, the uglier the optics get.
A Little History Matters Here
Horn Rapids was established in 1994 as a master planned community with significant infrastructure investment from the City of Richland. Over the years, developers changed hands multiple times before Pahlisch Homes became the Declarant in 2021.
Under the current structure, Pahlisch still controls the Master HOA Board because the development period does not expire until either:
95% of the planned 3,000 homes are completed, or
May 24, 2034.
That means homeowners do NOT currently control the HOA Board.
The seven-member board includes four Declarant-appointed members and only three homeowner representatives. The ICC (Initial Construction Committee), which controls approval of new residential development plans, is also entirely controlled by Pahlisch-appointed board members Cory Bittner and Jason Spence.
And here is another detail homeowners are now paying close attention to:
The City of Richland itself reportedly held a position on the HOA Board up until approximately a month ago.
That matters because the City was not some distant outside observer completely disconnected from what was happening inside the community structure. Whether that role carried voting authority, oversight influence, or merely participation, homeowners are now questioning how much visibility the City had into ongoing disputes, governance issues, and communication failures surrounding this litigation.
At minimum, it further complicates the narrative that nobody knew anything.
The Golf Course and Townhome Dispute
The Horn Rapids Golf Course is privately owned and is NOT part of the HOA. Brad Rew purchased the course in 2019 and proposed building townhomes on golf course property.
According to project history:
Rew originally proposed 72 townhomes.
Concerns were raised by some Crosswater homeowners over view impacts.
The City of Richland conducted a public review and hearing process.
The project was ultimately approved after modifications reduced the project to 54 units.
At one point, a lawsuit against the City of Richland was filed and later withdrawn after homeowners were told the HOA ICC process would address concerns.
Fast forward.
The ICC — controlled by Pahlisch appointees — ultimately became the central roadblock in the dispute. Communications between HJBT Properties and the ICC deteriorated over time, and efforts to bring parties together reportedly failed.
Then came the bombshell.
On January 31, 2025, HJBT Properties filed suit against:
Horn Rapids HOA
Pahlisch Homes
Cory Bittner
Jason Spence
The lawsuit was later expanded to include Stew Stone. Trial is reportedly scheduled for January 2027.
Here Is Why Homeowners Are So Angry
The anger is not just about the lawsuit itself.
It is about what homeowners describe as a complete failure of transparency.
According to homeowner concerns:
Residents were never proactively informed about the lawsuit for close to a year.
Homeowners discovered the litigation themselves through public records and conversations.
Realtors and sellers eventually became subject to disclosure requirements involving the lawsuit.
At least one home sale was reportedly impacted after disclosures began.
Think about that for a second.
People continued buying and selling homes while active litigation involving the HOA and developer-controlled board was unfolding — and many residents say they had absolutely no idea.
That is the issue.
Not a landscaping violation.
Not garbage cans.
Not parking.
A lawsuit that could potentially affect:
HOA finances
insurance premiums
special assessments
property values
and future home sales.
And homeowners say there was not a peep.
NOT.
A.
PEEP.
Then Came The “Special Meeting” Email
Homeowners recently (this afternoon) received notice of a “Special Board Meeting” to discuss the HJBT lawsuit.
On the surface, finally communicating with homeowners sounds positive.
Until you actually read the email.
The meeting is:
on Zoom,
during work hours,
with limited homeowner comment periods,
immediately followed by Executive Session (where homeowners are excluded),
and homeowners are being told the Board will only THEN be in a position to answer questions.
Wait… what?
After nearly a year of silence, NOW there needs to be another process before questions can be answered?
And what happened to the promised in-person meeting homeowners were previously told was coming?
People are understandably asking whether this format was intentionally designed to control the conversation.
Because let’s be honest:
A Zoom webinar during work hours is not exactly maximizing homeowner participation.
And unlike an in-person meeting, Zoom gives moderators complete control:
mute microphones,
remove participants,
limit comments,
and tightly manage discussion flow.
Whether intentional or not, the optics are terrible.
Especially after homeowners already feel information has been filtered, delayed, and carefully managed for months.
The Optics Keep Getting Worse
Homeowners are now asking serious questions regarding governance and conflicts of interest.
Among the concerns being raised:
Why were homeowners not informed earlier?
Who knew about the lawsuit and when?
Why were mediation efforts apparently unsuccessful?
Why did homeowners have to uncover this themselves?
Why does it appear communication is now being tightly controlled?
What role did the City’s Board participation play before stepping away?
And now, after homeowners began publicly questioning leadership, at least one board/ICC member has stated they will no longer respond individually and that all future responses will come through a future “board process.”
That is not calming fears down.
It is gasoline on the fire.
Because to many homeowners, this no longer feels like transparency.
It feels like containment.
What Washington Law Says
Washington HOAs operate under RCW 64.38, the Washington Homeowners’ Association Act. Associations are required to maintain records and make certain records available to homeowners.
To be very clear:
Not every bad decision is illegal.
But homeowners are increasingly questioning whether fiduciary responsibilities, disclosure expectations, and transparency obligations were handled appropriately here.
Especially when:
the Board is developer controlled,
overlapping roles exist between the HOA and ICC,
litigation was not proactively disclosed,
homeowners may ultimately bear financial consequences,
and the City itself maintained a Board position until very recently.
Here Is the Part Leadership May Be Missing
Most homeowners are NOT asking for war.
Most homeowners simply want this resolved.
The City already approved the project years ago. Many residents are now struggling to understand why this situation continues dragging on while homeowners sit trapped in the middle financially and emotionally.
Every additional month means:
more legal costs,
more uncertainty,
more disclosure complications,
more tension,
and more damage to trust within the community.
At this point, many residents are beginning to ask a difficult question:
Is this still about protecting the community…
or is this personal?
Because from the outside looking in, the refusal to communicate openly is becoming just as damaging as the lawsuit itself.
And one thing is now undeniable:
The homeowners are paying attention. 👀
