Residents have recently begun moving into the Silverbrook Apartments, a new high-end apartment complex that will have 228 units, a clubhouse and two dog parks and will be part of an “apartment community” in north Kalispell off U.S. Highway 93.
“It’s going to be something completely different than other new multifamily developments,” Community Manager Karlee St. Peter said. “Not many have clubhouses and people can come into the office six days a week.”
Construction crews recently finished the first 27 apartments and plan to complete the 5,000-square-foot clubhouse in August, which will include a management office, private meeting rooms, a gourmet kitchen, a ski and bike repair shop, a pet washing station, an 18-foot-by-36-foot pool with an infinity waterfall and a 226-square-foot hot tub.
The one-, two- and three-bedroom pet-friendly apartments will come with high-end light fixtures, a washer and drier and there will be carports and garages available on the property for an additional cost. Apartment prices range from $1,450 to $1,800 per month with an additional fee for pets and there will be two “bark parks.” A discount will also be available at nearby World Gym.
Based out of North Carolina, developers with American Residential Investment Management are following an apartment trend seen in larger cities, which is designed to create a communal living environment.
“We want to give people the quality of living that we’re used to in the multifamily industry,” St. Peter said. “You’re paying rent to have a roof over your head, but we are also providing great customer service and we’re building a community within the apartment community.”
Once the clubhouse is finished, the Silverbrook management team plans to host events like wine nights, and they are also working with local businesses to plan events offsite.
Now that renters have begun moving into the first 27 apartments, St. Peter says many of the new residents range from teachers to pharmacists and management is offering a preferred employer program, for workers like first responders and teachers who will receive $150 off their first month of rent.
“It gives them a little something,” St. Peter said. “We appreciate their hard work and we want to show them compassion.”
Silverbrook operates on a first-come-first-serve basis, and they have spoken with several renters who have been discouraged by the application process in the Flathead Valley.
“We’ve heard stories of people being picked and chosen over,” St. Peter said. “People are kind of traumatized here with applications and I think that’s a challenge they’ve dealt with.”
St. Peter says many of the applicants have bounced around several residences in the past few years due to the lack of housing in the Flathead, and they are relieved to have finally found stable housing.
“So many people have been kicked out of their rentals and they are living in places for three months at a time,” St. Peter said. “In different places, that would be a sign of a bad renter, but it’s not here. It’s been heartbreaking to hear what people had to go through and all of the application fees they’ve spent.”
Construction crews continue to work on phase one of the development, which will include four buildings and the clubhouse and is planned to be finished this August. Phase two, which will also include four buildings, is on track for completion in a year.
Phased move-in dates will be in mid-May, mid-July and mid-August.
Silverbrook Apartments are located at 150 Day Lily Drive in Kalispell. For more information, visit www.silverbrookapartments.com.