After over two years sitting in disrepair, the former Outlaw Inn is poised for a revival.  

Columbia Falls developer Mick Ruis took ownership of the south Kalispell property on May 2 and said he plans to transform the decrepit building into a low-cost senior living facility.  

Over the winter, Ruis acquired the debt the former property owner, listed as CV The Charles, LLC, owed to Western Security Bank, according to documents filed in Flathead County District Court detailing the arrangement. 

The former property owner had until May 5 to pay the more than $6 million owed before the property would be put up for auction. To avoid foreclosure, Ruis said the former property owner signed the deed over to Ruis a few days before the deadline.  

CV The Charles, LLC, shares the same address as Oregon-based real estate firm Fortify Holdings, which bought the property in 2022 with a plan to turn it into multi-family housing. 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 became a hotspot for trespassing and vandalism, leaving neighbors concerned for their safety as the building stood unsecure and unfenced. 

Ruis has since fenced the property and begun cleaning up the site. He described the inside as being riddled with garbage and expects tidying up to take months. Ruis said he has no intention of demolishing the building because the structure is still sound.  

While the plans are still in their infancy, he hopes to build a senior living facility that would cost a resident under $3,000 a month, meals included. He said he envisions swimming pools, a pickleball court and indoor movie theater.  

But whether his plans come to fruition is dependent on the operational costs and fees to meet city standards, he said.  

Ruis, a well-known developer, owns other property in the Flathead Valley, including the Silos apartment complex in downtown Kalispell and the 2,900-acre former Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. Site.  

Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected].