After several years of relative silence, King Soopers has submitted new redevelopment plans for the former Kmart site at Drake Road and South College Avenue in Midtown Fort Collins.

The grocery chain, with a handful of stores in Fort Collins, plans a nearly 124,000-square-foot Marketplace including a fuel center that will replace a vacant building on the east end of the site.

King Soopers also plans to raze the existing Loaf 'N Jug convenience store on the northwest corner of College and Drake and leave the land vacant for future redevelopment, according to plans filed with the city's planning department.

City planning staff is expected to review plans this week. A 2016 preliminary development plan for the project has expired, requiring the grocer to resubmit plans.

The store would be about the same size as the King Soopers Marketplace that opened on North College Avenue in 2011 and would replace the smallest of the brand's local sites at 2325 S. College Ave., at about 50,000 square feet.

Plans include eight spots for the popular Click List grocery pickup program, 60 shared parking spaces for MAX, the city's bus rapid-transit system on Drake Road, pedestrian corridors for multimodal circulation through the site and a small plaza and community area near the southeast corner of the new store.

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According to plans, the patio, landscaping and pedestrian-friendly areas will "enliven the customer and pedestrian experience."

The grocer hopes to have the store open in 2022, representatives said at the end of last year.

A little history

Kroger purchased the Kmart property at 2535 S. College Ave. in 2009 as part of redevelopment plans for its smaller store to the north.

It began development plans in 2016 when Kmart closed Fort Collins location as part of widespread closures.

Over the years, the parking lot has seen pop-up pumpkin and Christmas tree sales and served as a commuter lot for those hopping on MAX. Otherwise, the site and building have continued to deteriorate with broken and boarded-up windows and deepening potholes.

Part of the delay has been due to changes in the state's Urban Renewal Authority laws and a disagreement between the URA and Poudre School District over how much tax increment the district would contribute to the site's redevelopment.

That issue was resolved earlier this year, clearing the way for two projects within the Midtown URA to go forward, including the King Soopers.

Developing in the URA makes tax increment financing, or TIF, and other incentives available to the national grocer. TIF is a development tool that allows the URA to use additional property tax revenue generated by the planned improvements to help pay for related public infrastructure or facade improvements.

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Thus far, Kroger has not requested any aid, said Clay Frickey, the city's redevelopment program manager.

The company is honoring its easement with the city to provide surface parking spaces for MAX riders, but will not include a parking structure or living space long sought by the city as part of its Midtown redevelopment plan.

"The Midtown plan contemplated a much more mixed-use environment," Frickey said. "For any project in Midtown to fulfill that vision we are looking for a mix of uses. This project is not unique in that respect."

The city pressed King Soopers to provide residential and parking space to accommodate redevelopment and increased density growth along the MAX line from the get-go, Frickey said.

The grocer included in its plans space for a potential parking garage that could have accommodated up to 60 spaces per floor, but that is not anticipated currently, Frickey said.

Most people using MAX from the site closest to the property are Colorado State University employees, faculty and students, he said. The URA board was "not comfortable" using URA funds for a project that would primarily benefit CSU, Frickey said.

The redevelopment will require a neighborhood meeting. The city is still working out details how that would happen while a statewide stay-at-home order is in effect due to coronavirus concerns.

Pat Ferrier is a senior reporter covering business, health care and growth issues in Northern Colorado. Contact her at patferrier@coloradoan.com. Please support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a subscription today.