Former Lincoln Sears building close to landing new tenants

It looks like the former Sears building could finally be on the cusp of landing some new tenants.

Building permits filed this week indicate Burlington Stores and Sierra Trading Post are both planning to open stores in the building at 6400 O St.

John Dewhurst, president of Omaha real estate firm Hard Corner LLC, who is the leasing agent for the building’s owners, declined to confirm the two tenants. He said no leases have been signed yet.

The stores, which are both off-price retailers, would be new to Lincoln. Burlington has three stores in Omaha, while Sierra Trading Post has one.

Neither company could be reached for comment.

Burlington, which used to be known as Burlington Coat Factory, sells men’s, women’s and kids’ clothing and shoes, as well as toys, books and housewares. It is similar to stores such as Marshalls, TJ Maxx and Ross.

Sierra Trading Post also sells discounted items, but its focus is more on athletic and outdoors gear, including clothing and shoes. It is owned by TJX Cos., which owns TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.

The 120,000-square-foot Sears building has been vacant since Sears closed in March 2019. Texas-based Elm Creek Real Estate bought it in December 2019, along with the former Red Lobster and a vacant lot, all of which were owned by Sears, for $6.5 million.

Documents submitted to the Lincoln-Lancaster Planning Department earlier this year showed plans to tear down the former auto center portion of the building and build a new 16,000-square-foot addition to house a “a mixture of retail and restaurant uses.”