A settlement has been reached in a years-long legal dispute over a townhome project at the Horn Rapids community northwest of Richland that will reportedly not saddle any of the community’s residents with legal fees.

Board members of the Horn Rapids Homeowners Association voted Aug. 21 during a public session to approve the settlement between Bend-based Pahlisch Homes, the current developer for Horn Rapids, and Richland-based HJBT. At issue was HJBT’s lawsuit over a townhome project adjacent to the community’s golf course, according to resident and former HOA board member Tom Harper.

Brad Rew, owner of HJBT, confirmed to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business that a settlement had been reached but said he was unable to comment further.

The settlement isn’t fully finalized, according to details shared with HOA members in the days after the vote. The agreement is still being written up for final approval by Rew before he submits a request to the court to dismiss his lawsuit. That process is expected to take through the month of September to complete.

But the settlement will explicitly prevent any costs of the legal battle from being passed onto HOA members as was feared, according to Harper. And Rew will be able to build the townhome project based on plans submitted in 2023, with Pahlisch no longer having a role in reviewing it.

Rew, who took over ownership of the golf course in 2019, planned to have HJBT build the townhomes in an empty lot alongside the course as a means to finance improvements for the course and its facilities.

HJBT filed its lawsuit against Pahlisch and the HOA in January 2025. It alleged the company and its agents – who control an HOA committee overseeing new construction – were intentionally conspiring to halt the project “for illegitimate reasons” after two years of proposals, rejections and resubmittals over everything from fence color to the appearance of building elevations.

Pahlisch has denied the allegations and twice attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed, first in whole and then in part by petitioning to remove its two named agents from the case. Both dismissal efforts were rejected by Benton County Superior Court judges.

Many Horn Rapids community members only began learning they could be financially liable for potential damages in the lawsuit in recent months as word of it spread. That’s also when the litigation began being included in disclosures for home sales in the community, resulting in sales reportedly being canceled.