The former Outlaw Inn property may have a new owner before the year’s end.  

Columbia Falls developer Mick Ruis told the Daily Inter Lake on Tuesday that he has bought the promissory note and deed of trust on the south Kalispell property, which is in foreclosure.  

The limited liability company, Outlaw Apartments, was assigned as the new lender for the land from Western Security Bank, according to documents filed in Flathead County detailing the arrangement. The company designated attorney Ryan Purdy as trustee.  

Those documents indicate that the property owner, listed as CV The Charles, LLC, has defaulted after failing to pay the outstanding principal amount by the Dec. 10, 2024 maturity date. The documents indicate that the owner also failed to protect the property and pay taxes and special assessments on the land in the 2024 tax year.  

Outlaw Apartments is seeking the sale of the land to satisfy the property owner’s debts. The property owner has until the May 5 trustee sale date to pay the more than $6 million owed.   

CV The Charles LLC shares the same address as Oregon-based real estate firm Fortify Holdings, which bought the property in 2022. Then known as the FairBridge Inn & Suites and Conference Center, the building served as an extended-stay hotel with more than 100 guests. Left vacant since the sale, the property has become a hotspot for trespassing and vandalism. 

Fortify intended to turn the property into multi-family housing units. Neighbors became concerned for their safety in the interim as the building stood unsecure and unfenced.  

Ruis said that he immediately lined the property with a chain-link fence and scaffolding after buying the note. Security was also hired to patrol the property three times a day and sweep the building twice a day, Ruis said.  

If the land goes up for sale in May, anyone — including Outlaw Apartments — can bid on the property, according to documents filed with the county. The bid price must be paid in cash at the time of sale, though Outlaw Apartments can bid with credit up to the amount owed on the loan.  

Kalispell City Councilor Ryan Hunter said he hoped to see the building demolished and turned into multi-family housing. In the meantime, he was glad to see the vacant building secured.  

“Fortify has not proven to be a good community partner,” he said. “It was a frustration of mine that it has taken us I think too long to kind of respond to what was going on there.”  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.