The Walmart in Albuquerque’s International District has been closed for more than 16 months — but the 206,000-square-foot building may not remain vacant much longer.
On July 5, a commercial real estate website updated the listing of the former Walmart on San Mateo Boulevard near Central Avenue SE to “under contract.” The supercenter was built in 1994 and was added to the website on May 1, 2023.
The listed broker, however, said he could not confirm or deny anything about a potential sale.
The International District has lost multiple grocery stores over the past several years and is now considered a “food desert.” The neighborhood’s John Brooks Supermarket closed in 2013 and a Fair ‘N’ Square Food Store closed in 2016.
With Walmart’s closure in March of last year, residents said goodbye to one of the last options they could rely on for food and medication. Now, the largest grocery store on Central is Talin Market World Food Fare on Louisiana Boulevard — about a mile and a half from the former Walmart.
City Councilor Nichole Rogers — who represents the district — said she does not know who is buying the property but she wants to make sure it is developed into something the “community can be proud of.” Rogers said the community needs housing, food, pharmacies, clinics and daycares.
“I think for me, it’s something that’s top priority,” Rogers said. “I came in [to City Council] asking for updates, finding out what’s happening, who’s going to get it.”
While it’s still unclear who may be trying to buy the property, it is not the city, said Terry Brunner, director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency.
The city received $2 million from the state Legislature to use in the International District for the redevelopment of properties like the Walmart after the store closed in 2023.
Mayor Tim Keller announced in a press release last April that the funding could be used to repurpose the site to serve local residents.
“We’re working hard to bring together community leaders, elected officials and Walmart to create a path forward for this property so that it can be a community asset and provide critical access to food and other essentials for the International District,” Keller said in the release.
Brunner said the city has not made an offer on the property since the listed asking price was approximately $10 million — significantly more than the the city received. He said the funding is still available and there are no immediate plans to use it.
“That is restricted funding so it can be used for a public use…,” Brunner said. “There are some restrictions… We do have to make the right kind of deal to use those funds.”
Residents in the International District not only have limited options for grocery stores, but also pharmacies.
Read more about the International District becoming a “pharmacy desert” here.
Along with Walmart, the area once had a CVS — which closed in 2019 — and a Walgreens — which closed months after Walmart.
Enrique Cardiel, director of the city’s Health Equity Council, said the closed store needs to be repurposed into something “that can help out the area.”
“Definitely another grocery store, something with a pharmacy attached to it, there’s just a ton of options that are better than just letting it be,” Cardiel said.