Albany, N.Y. — Outdoor gear retailer REI is planning its second store in Upstate New York at a former Sears location near Albany.

The chain plans to redevelop the former Sears at the Colonie Center, according to the Albany Times Union. REI won approval of a zoning application for the store in September.

REI's current New York stores are in Rochester, Yonkers, New York City and Long Island. The chain has 155 stores in 35 states total.

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The Sears at Colonie Center closed two years ago, according to the Albany Business Review.

Seritage Growth Properties owns the former Sears site and has been trying to subdivide it with four tenants, the Business Review said. Sears Holdings spun off Seritage several years ago to manage former Sears and Kmart real estate.

REI will still need a building permit to renovate the space for a new store, which would occupy about 25,000 square feet at the former Sears site. That includes a part of the old garden center, according to the Business Review.

A town official estimated it would be at least next spring or summer before the store could open, according to the Business Review.

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