The Postal Service announced back in July that it was ending its pilot program to put mini-post offices in Staples stores. The 82 postal counters it had set up last October would be transitioned to the Approved Shipper program, which has been around for years without causing much controversy.  (The Postal Service explained the transition in this blog post.) At the … Read More
Historic Berkeley Post Office under contract to be sold
Judith Scherr For the Contra Costa Times: Confirming rumors buzzing around City Hall, the U.S. Postal Service told the Contra Costa Times that the historic downtown Berkeley Post Office is "under contract but not yet sold." An email from the city attorney Thursday to the City Council — leaked to the Berkeley Daily Planet — sets out a process for an eventual lawsuit … Read More
Contract post office in Kingman AZ to close after 35 years
At the end of the year, the Postal Service is going to close the contract post office (aka, Contract Postal Unit, or CPU) in downtown Kingman, Arizona. It's been run by the same family for 35 years. The Postal Service says it will replace the post office with a new contract postal unit that will only sell stamps, envelopes and boxes … Read More
Historic York PA post office to become event venue
The historic post office in York, Pennsylvania, was sold to developer George Sacarello for $350,000.  The sale  was controversial because in 2012, City Council members and several city officials voiced concern because he owed thousands in back property taxes and back sewer and refuse fees.  Now Sacarello is all paid up, and he’s working on the post office makeover.  He doesn’t want to … Read More
Canada converts 100,000 customers to cluster boxes, only 4.9 million to go
Canada is getting cluster boxes, and lots of them. This week Canada Post rolled out it plan to replace home delivery at the door to centralized delivery at a cluster box down the block. Nearly 100,000 residences, plus over 3,300 businesses, have been converted so far. Over the next five years, Canada Post hopes to switch a total of 5 million … Read More
South Bronx Residents Are Not Sold on Plans for Historic Post Office
Max Burman, New York City Lens: The sale of the Bronx General Post Office has split local opinion as gentrification looms. South Bronx residents have, it seems, been left feeling like mere bystanders in the process and it is this lack of involvement, and the sense of powerlessness that goes along with it, which seem to have driven local apprehension. But … Read More
Sold American: An inventory of USPS disposed properties, 2009-2014
The Postal Service has sold over 500 properties over the past five years, but it hasn’t released much information about the disposals. A few weeks ago, however, the Postal Service finally updated its Owned Facilities report, so it’s now possible to learn more about which properties have been sold off. The overall scope of the disposal program has not been … Read More
Next in postal privatization: Goin Postal counters in 2,000 Walmarts
The Goin Postal pack-and-ship company has signed a deal to put small postal stores inside of 2,000 Walmarts.  While the Postmaster General will probably say it’s all about customer convenience, the deal represents yet another step in the privatization of the Postal Service. These postal stores, it should be noted, aren’t exactly the same as the mini-post offices that the … Read More
Historic Peter Stuyvestant post office to be demolished
The Peter Stuyvesant post office on East 14th Street in Manhattan closed in February of this year, and retail services were recloated down the street. The Postal Service had been leasing the building, which was constructed for the Department of the Post Office according to its specifications, since 1952. The building is old enough to be listed on the National Register … Read More
Another Houston post office to close & relocate
The U.S. Postal Service has announced plans to potentially move retail services from the Heights station at Yale and 11th in Houston to an annex on West 19th Street. If the relocation happens, the post office at 1050 Yale – officially known as the Heights Finance Station – would be closed. The Postal Service has already relocated four other Houston … Read More
Historic post office in Richmond VA for sale
The 1937 post office at 1625-1635 Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia, is listed on the USPS-CBRE Properties for Sale website. The listing says the Postal Service wants to have the property under contract this month, with a closing in February of 2015, at which time the Postal Service will relocate to a new facility. According to the USPS Leased Properties list, … Read More
Historic Somerville post office sold to Live Nation impresario Don Law
The Union Square Post Office has been sold to Boston rock music promoter Don Law for $2.75 million. Plans are vague at this point, but it looks like the building will be repurposed to serve an arts-related function. Read more. The City's press release is here. ("Union square post office" by Swampyank me)
USPS may challenge Berkeley rezoning in court
The U.S. Postal Service may file a lawsuit challenging Berkeley's rezoning of the area around the downtown post office. This week the City Council is slated to approve a proposal to establish more restrictive development standards in Berkeley’s civic center. Postal Service spokesman Augustine Ruiz Jr. said via email Monday that “The Postal Service is evaluating all options with respect … Read More
