Luxury apartments up for rent on Nucleus, as building nears completion

By CHRIS PETERSON

Hungry Horse News

The transformation of downtown Columbia Falls continues.

Ruis Rentals has begun offering longterm rentals at 540 Nucleus Avenue. The building features 30 luxury two-bedroom, two bathroom longterm rentals as well as 18 vacation rental studio apartments on the first floor, noted property manager Haylee Johnson.

The vacation rentals feature a full stove and microwave, but just a mini fridge. They will have sofa beds and will sleep up to four guests.

A coffee-bagel shop is slated to go into the lower commercial space on the east side of the building. The north side commercial space has either one large unit or can be split into three units, Johnson noted during a tour last week.

The longterm apartments come with 55-inch televisions, mountain views, full kitchens as well as in-house washer and dryer.

The entire building is keyless entry with a bottom-floor gym with showers for use by tenants and guests.

The interior units are 950 square feet, while the coveted corner units, which have windows on two sides, are 1,150 square feet. Rents start at $1,950 a month, with wifi included. Pets are allowed with a deposit, Johnson noted. The corner apartments rent for $2,250. They also have an electric fireplace. All the units have air conditioning.

All the units have out side patios, but there is no roof access.

The building, simply called 540 Nucleus, is another step in transformation of downtown Columbia Falls. The site used to be the city square and was originally the home of the Bank of Columbia Falls. Developer Mick Ruis bought the bank property a few years ago. Its last use was by Hellroaring Crossfit as a fitness gym.

Ruis tore the bank down in 2021.

Since then, the block has been a hub of activity. A building to the immediate south of 540 Nucleus is currently under construction. It will feature 12 more rental units, with the bottom half slated to have a steakhouse, a casino and golf simulators.

The building will have off-street parking, with each unit getting a spot for one vehicle. Addition vehicles can park at Ruis-owned lots to the east.

Ruis also owns eight units in the Glacier Courtyards Building to the north of of 540 Nucleus Avenue. The rent for a two-bedroom in that building is $1,600 a month, with similar amenities.

Ruis owns a significant portion of downtown, including a large building across the street. He is also slated to begin construction on a new hotel off U.S. Highway 2 at the Glacier Inn Motel site.

In addition, he purchased the old high school building along with its gyms from School District 6. The plan for that building is rentals for seniors and teachers — a covenant that the school included in the sale of the building.

The school has agreed to sell the building for $550,000. That may seem low in today’s market, but the building has asbestos and it was estimated it would cost $1.3 million just to tear it down.

Ruis can’t begin work on that project until the new Glacier Gateway School is completed in December, as it’s still be using by Glacier Gateway students.

Ruis is also building 102-unit subdivision between Meadow Lake Boulevard and North Hilltop Road.

In Kalispell, he’s turning a former granary site into a mixed-use residential and commercial area featuring roughly 230 apartments, bars, restaurants, a hotel, retail space and parking.

He plans on building a restaurant on top of the old silos of the granary.

For more information on rentals go to: ruisholdings.com/montana-properties