The Kalispell City Council has passed, on second reading, a revision to a City Ordinance addressing concerns of security and safety at vacant buildings. Initially, it targeted what local residents call an eyesore, the former Outlaw Inn and Convention Center. Currently, a facility can’t be condemned unless it violates a City Ordinance which, at present, it does not.
The new fire code gives the violator 10 days to fix the problem. After that, it’s considered a municipal offense, a violation of a City Ordinance, and can be torn down.
Three years ago, Oregon-based Fortify Holdings bought the site of the Outlaw Inn to turn it into multifamily housing and even rushed to evict current residents. The building has been sitting vacant ever since.
The facility is now in foreclosure, which puts everything in limbo for a while; perhaps not too much longer though. We’re told that Columbia Falls developer, Mick Ruis, has bought the papers on the property. He’s the one who fenced the property and hired security patrols to place the property in compliance with City Ordinances.
There’s a lot of formalities before Ruis can do anything with the property but it’s likely the current buildings will be demolished. Ruis hasn’t said what he plans to do with the property on Hwy 93 South but he’s the one who developed the Silos Apartments near the Parkline Trail on West Center Street in Kalispell.
