It’s back to square one for a planned redevelopment of the former University of Colorado Health Sciences Center site in Denver after supermarket giant King Soopers pulled out of the project this week.

The decision is a blow to residents near the 28-acre redevelopment at Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard who already successfully fought against a proposed Wal-Mart last year amid concerns the big-box retailer wouldn’t fit aesthetically into the neighborhood. King Soopers was considered to be a suitable alternative.

According to the Denver Post, King Soopers’ president Russ Dispense said “he likes the location of the old University of Colorado Hospital, but [he] can’t make a grocery store work under the current redevelopment plan from Fuqua Development.”

Among the issues King Soopers had was a proposal that would have put the grocery store’s parking lot in an area across the street from the actual store. Before the deal fell apart, the store was supposed to be the anchor tenant for the mixed-use development, which is expected to include housing, restaurants, and retail space. The property has been vacant for six years.

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