Developer moves apartment building to Evergreen
Riverview Apartments under construction along U.S. Highway 2 East in Evergreen on Wednesday, April 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Riverview Apartments under construction along U.S. Highway 2 East in Evergreen on Wednesday, April 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Riverview Apartments under construction along U.S. Highway 2 East in Evergreen on Wednesday, April 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
An artist rendering shows the Riverview Apartments complex, wich is set to include 16 apartments
An artist rendering shows the Riverview Apartments complex, wich is set to include 16 apartments.
Brett Kelly has a unique solution to the local housing crunch: he simply picked up an apartment building and transported it to Evergreen.
“It was nice to be able to repurpose a building that wasn’t being used,” Kelly said.
Kelly took a prefabricated 20,000-square-foot apartment building out of North Dakota and relocated it to 1245 U.S. 2 East throughout the past year.
Kelly said this approach saved him money on construction costs, since material prices have skyrocketed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s been quite the project,” Kelly said.
It has taken a year and 31 truck trips to bring the building piece-by-piece to Evergreen. Putting the building together after it was broken down into 60 boxes was “like playing Tetris with a forklift,” Kelly said.
Despite the challenges, which doubled construction time from the initial 6-month estimate, the apartments are expected to be move-in ready in early-to-mid May.
The Riverview Apartments complex will include 16 four-bedroom units, three two-bedroom units and one efficiency studio apartment.
The building was originally constructed in 2012 and was used as an apartment for a few years, Kelly said.
The units are equipped with insulated foam walls that Kelly said are “very efficient.” They also come with laundry equipment, and Kelly will pay all utilities except internet and phone service. Riverview Apartments will also be pet-friendly, Kelly said.
Kelly said he chose the location because the county is amenable to utilizing repurposed buildings, whereas the City of Kalispell doesn’t allow such structures.
“It was kind of like the stars aligned,” said Kelly, who purchased the lot two weeks before he learned about the available building. “At the end of the day, it just worked.”
Kelly, who was born in the Flathead, said he was inspired to take the project on because of rising housing prices in the valley.
“It’s sad,” said Kelly. “It’s really sad.”
Kelly said he won’t know rental prices for Riverview Apartments until the units are finished.
