FAQ’s

The area offers many recreational activities, natural treasures, and events. This includes outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, bicycling, skiing, river rafting, canoeing, kayaking, and golfing. You can easily visit state and national parks. The region also has many wineries, craft breweries, fruit stands, farmers markets, and local arts and crafts. With the Gorge Amphitheatre nearby, you can even attend world class concerts. 

Check out our What to do page.

You can enjoy spectacular views, 300+ days of sun, and solitude in a beautiful desert steppe at The Crest at Columbia Bluffs. Drive through rolling hills with views of Babcock Ridge, the lower Babcock Bench, and bluffs overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. Our area is surrounded by hundreds of acres of open federal and state land, and located within the Ancient Lakes AVA.

You can build your dream home on estate-sized acreage lots with privacy, but close to recreational opportunities and community. Our lot configurations range from ½ acre to over 2-acre estate sized parcels.

With 300+ days of sunshine and very little rain (an average of 3 inches per year, Columbia Bluffs is in one of the driest climates within Washington State. The summers are usually hot, dry, and mostly clear. The winters are usually freezing, snowy, and partly cloudy.  

Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 23°F to 91°F and is rarely below 10°F or above 99°F. The micro-climate of Columbia Bluffs has very short winter seasons and extended periods of heat. This means cooling your home is a major consideration.

This development, located in the high desert of Central Washington, provides an opportunity to live in harmony with the environment, resulting in a sustainable, comfortable lifestyle with low operating expenses. Our design review process will help our property owners design homes that are durable, self-sustaining, easy to maintain, and affordable.

Simply put, we’ve already done the heavy lifting for you. Our buyers WILL NOT have to drill wells, obtain fiber optics, or put in roadways. Our homesites are served by community water, the Grant County PUD for power, and pre-existing, fast fiber optic internet. Septic system site registrations are in place. Additionally, we have friendly CC&R’s designed to protect the investments of property owners.

Columbia Bluffs has been working closely with Grant County to ensure there are adequate fire protections. Our Architectural Control Committee carefully considers exterior material selections and the siting of each home with fire hazards in mind. During your design review process, our consultant will work closely with you to help select building materials and designs that are both beautiful and protective.

An Escrow hold-back of $30,000 at closing will be held to ensure that the Group B water system will be developed and receive Washington State approval for service. Funds will be released when the state and county approve the system for service, which is expected to be in place by or before the summer of 2024.

Yes. There is a HOA that governs and manages common areas and services to ensure the welfare of the community. A complete Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&R’s) document outlines the community structure, architecture, use of common areas and other topics. Our CC&R’s are available upon request.

Yes.

You might consider building an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) or Casita to enjoy the area now while you take time to design your dream home. As a purchaser in Columbia Bluffs, you can purchase the lot only and begin designing, or we can assist in pairing you with one of our outstanding local builder options. We are working toward having a small ADU/Casita unit permitted through the county as a model home which might meet your needs.

Yes. All homeowners in Columbia Bluffs are required to meet “Zero Energy Ready Home” certification standards. Our community focus is centered around self-sustaining septic, water management, and power production that’s based on the needs of your own home.

We believe that homes designed and built to these standards will support an active lifestyle by minimizing the cost, while protecting and maximizing the future value of your investment. Columbia Bluffs will provide homeowners with guidance on how to achieve “Zero Energy Ready Home” standards throughout the design review process.

Simply put, a net zero, energy ready home generates the amount of energy it consumes over a 12-month period. This is through renewable resources, like solar powered systems. Most net zero homes are designed to take advantage of passive solar design and are augmented by solar panels. 

We’re encouraging net zero energy homes with planning in the early design stages. We find the upfront costs are more than offset by the future savings. Grant County is blessed with an abundance of sunshine, providing a very predictable source of energy that can reduce your bills dramatically. It all starts with a properly designed home.

The purpose of Columbia Bluffs’ design review process is to protect our property owners’ investments and the investments of the community. With careful, up-front planning, you can achieve increased cost effectiveness and added comfort. Working with “Zero Energy Ready Home” standards is inexpensive if planned for early in the design process. The returns are significant.

Our Design Reviewers are experts in sustainable building design. They are committed to reviewing proposed buildings in a timely manner, and emphasizing beautiful designs that are resource efficient. We realize that materials and building methods change over time. Our design review will be flexible, allowing for adaptation and research.

The siting and orientation of your home is the first and foremost consideration in energy conservation. Proper siting can significantly reduce the cost of operations, while providing you with an improved quality of life. 

Each lot, when purchased, will have markers showing its east-west solar orientation. These markers indicate the optimum position for solar considerations. The plot plans you receive when you purchase one of our lots will clearly show the solar markers, making it easier for your design professionals.

During the design phase adding things like interior fans, specific ventilation appliances, extended overhangs, and tight building envelopes can help reduce energy expenses. The Grant County PUD also encourages Net Zero techniques. Planning this from the initial design phase is the most cost-effective way of meeting standards.

To learn more about Passive Design & Orientation, visit the U.S. Department of Energy.

The best landscaping for a desert environment is centered around native plants. Most plants in this area need very little water once established, and they thrive with minimal attention. Small common areas within the development will be placed with drought tolerant grass for the enjoyment of residents. The design review process will also assist property owners with designing an efficient landscaping plan for their homesite.

Columbia Bluffs LLC, as developer, purchased State Ground Water rights. These water rights will be dedicated to the Columbia Bluffs Owners Association, and aimed towards the building of the community. Unlike city ownership or developments tied to utility systems, as an owner within Columbia Bluffs, you will also have ownership in all community systems. 

The water systems developed will obtain state approvals and be subjected to the same standards that are required by other communities and municipal water suppliers. But the difference is that Columbia Bluffs property owners will be in control of the community’s water system services and expenses.

Living in the desert, you’ll find it’s the little things that make big differences. Applying too much water to the desert landscape impacts plants that can’t tolerate water. Allowing runoff from roofs and other impervious surfaces into desert areas doesn’t provide for a healthy desert. 

As developers, we hope to promote water reuse by channeling your showers, sinks, and laundry washing into collection tanks. These tanks can then provide for the irrigation needs around your home. The typical water use of a single-family home with 4 residents is approximately 150 gallons per day. Up to 100 gallons of this could be redirected to irrigation needs after use.

Currently, Washington State allows for gray water reuse, but this provision has not been accepted within Grant County. Columbia Bluffs LLC is working with Grant County to rectify this and will keep residents aware of our progress. 

Our hope is that gray water reuse can be planned for and initiated once county code is in place. We see this as a viable means of water conservation and management and thus recommend planning and designing accordingly.