First Phase of Silos Development Nears Completion
Tenants will be able to move into the first 40 units on Feb. 1 as construction continues on the 192-unit development at the former CHS grain elevator property in downtown Kalispell
By Maggie Dresser
The first apartments at the Silos development located at the former CHS grain elevator property on Center Street and Fifth Avenue West in Kalispell will be ready for tenants to move in on Feb. 1 after the project was unveiled more than two years ago.
In the development’s first phase, 40 two-bedroom, two-bathroom units on four floors with underground parking, storage units and an amenities building will be available to renters starting next month.
Construction crews continue to work on the four additional apartment buildings, which will bring a total of 192 units to downtown Kalispell along the Parkline Trail. The apartments are roughly 1,000 square-foot units with an attached balcony that will cost up to $2,500 per month to rent. Studio apartments are currently under construction in the additional phases of the project, which will cost $1,800 per month.
In the center of the development, which also includes an additional 5 acres on the north side of the Parkline Trail, an amenities building will hold offices and rooms for games, a gym, yoga and co-working and conference space. Eventually, a dog park will be built on the property.
“Downtown Kalispell is getting some revitalization,” Kyle Rosenbaum, of Ruis Construction, said. “This is the perfect spot along the Parkline Trail.”
Developer Mick Ruis first unveiled the project in 2021, with plans for 230 residential units along with a bar and restaurant to be built on top of the 100-foot-tall grain silos. But the restaurant portion is being put on hold for now while Ruis works with engineers to determine whether the silos are feasible for infrastructure on top of the historic grain elevators. Jackola Engineering & Architecture designed the project for Ruis Construction.
The Silos project and others like it are the products of a renewed focus on the redevelopment of Kalispell, a city that developers have gravitated toward following the completion of the Parkline Trail.
“I look at Kalispell as a sleeping giant that’s just been laying there getting ready to be built out,” Ruis said in 2021. “It’s a beautiful place. There’s so much land available there compared to Whitefish, and the city is just wonderful to work with. We look forward to being a partner and getting this corridor going.”
Other developers, including Bill Goldberg, have shifted their focus to Kalispell, too. In 2022, the city council approved Goldberg’s proposal for the five-story “Charles Hotel,” which will feature 79 units, a full-service restaurant, a rooftop bar, and a valet parking service. He also has plans to build a 250-space parking garage at the Eagles lot at the southeast corner of First Street West and First Avenue West.
Ruis continues to develop elsewhere in the Flathead Valley and recently finished constructing 48 units on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls. The development includes a double entry patio, community gym and 18 Airbnb units. Commercial space is also part of that project, including The Monaco Steakhouse & Sports Bar.
Additionally, Ruis plans to bring 146 rental apartments to the north side of Whitefish with the Whitefish Corridor Community. The development will include a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, 30% of which, or 44 units, will be deed restricted for permanent affordability. The project will be located between Texas and Colorado Avenues north of Edgewood Place on 6.55 acres of land.