A Milwaukee investor has dropped $6.5 million on the long-vacant former Kmart site in Brooklyn Center, a purchase that could finally rewrite the future of the 11.5-acre property. The hulking big-box shell has sat mostly empty for years along the Shingle Creek Crossing retail strip near Highway 100, and neighbors and city officials say the sale could reshape traffic patterns, job options, and whatever ultimately replaces the darkened store.
According to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, the property sold for $6.5 million to a Milwaukee-based buyer who plans to redevelop the 11.5-acre parcel. The outlet reports that specifics of the project are expected to be made public later this spring, which means the neighborhood is in for a few more months of guessing what might land there.
Commercial broker listings place the site inside Shingle Creek Crossing and show a large, former department store footprint with potential for outlots at the address used in marketing materials. The listing at JLL describes a former 180,000-square-foot box surrounded by extensive parking, a setup that could be carved up or adapted for several different uses.
Brooklyn Center Has Been Reworking The Big-Box Corridor
City officials have spent years trying to reposition the Brookdale and Shingle Creek area while trimming long-term vacancies at major retail anchors. The City Council rezoned the nearby Sears property to allow more housing and additional flexibility, according to CCX Media. The city also previously bought a shuttered Target store as part of a broader redevelopment push, Finance & Commerce reported, signaling a willingness to get directly involved when big boxes go dark.
Regional Playbook For Dead Big Boxes
Across the Twin Cities, suburbs have turned empty big-box stores into gyms, entertainment venues, grocery anchors, and even housing. The Star Tribune has documented how reuse strategies depend heavily on each market, the property owner’s appetite for change, and a city’s development priorities…