The Denver Post

Kmart special.

- By Joe Rubino Joe Rubino: 303-954-2953, jrubino@denverpost.com or @rubinojc

Long-vacant property finally sells.

The building has sat empty for nearly seven years, but wheels are turning on changes to the old Kmart on South Monaco Parkway south of East Evans Avenue.

The vacant former department store and the nearly 13 acres of mostly asphalt on which it sits sold Wednesday for $10.5 million, according to a news release from Cushman & Wakefield, the real estate firm that brokered the long-awaited deal.

The transactio­n comes after the property’s owner, J & W Management Corp., stopped receiving rental payments on the 99-year lease deal with Kmart’s now-bankrupt parent company, Sears, according to the release.

The buyer, Forum Real Estate Group, based in nearby Glendale, is eyeing the property, 2150 S. Monaco Parkway, for more than 300 units of multifamil­y housing. Companion retail space could be part of the mix, according to Wednesday’s release.

“This property was one that had been widely pursued and discussed throughout the real estate community for the better part of the last decade,” Cushman & Wakefield’s Jon Hendrickso­n said in a statement. “The perfect storm finally occurred where Kmart had rejected their interest in the ground lease, and we identified a best in class purchaser in Forum Real Estate Group.”

Forum sports a $1.8 billion investment portfolio spanning more than 70 properties in 22 states, according to its website. Its specialty is apartment buildings and complexes, but its holdings run the gamut, including office, retail and industrial space. In Denver, it owns the 329,000-square-foot Denver Urban Business Center industrial building near the Interstate 25-U.S. 6 interchang­e.

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