The Postal Service may no longer be talking about closing thousands of post offices, but it has been busy “relocating” them. In dozens of cities across the country, a downtown post office is being closed and the building, often a historic landmark, is being sold. According to the Postal Service, however, the post office isn't actually "closing." Because a new, … Read More
Harlem’s College Station post office may be sold and “relocated”
The Postal Service has announced plans to close and sell another historic post office. The College Station post office on 140th Street in in Harlem was built under the New Deal, and it’s been serving the neighborhood since 1937. It looks like 2014 may be its last year of operation. As usual, the Postal Service says it plans to open a … Read More
Questions about plans for New Canaan, Conn., PO relocation
The Postal Service reaffirmed its commitment to servicing the town and people of New Canaan Monday after some confusion during the Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday morning in which their desire to remain in town was questioned. "For some reason the assumption was made the Post Office was no longer committed to keeping postal operations in New Canaan," said Christine Dugas, … Read More
Two Brooklyn Post Offices headed for relocation
The Postal Service is planning to relocate two more post offices, the Pratt Station in Clinton Hill (524 Myrtle Ave.) and the Times Plaza Station in Boerum Hill (542 Atlantic Ave.). Both are in leased spaces, with leases terminating over the coming months. Brooklyn residents apparently have mixed feelings about the relocations. Read more.
Sale of historic Norwich post office not going anywhere, but post office may move to library
The Postal Service has been trying to sell the historic post office in downtown Norwich, Connecticut, but it's been having trouble finding a buyer. Nonetheless, there will be a meeting today to discuss the relocation, a meeting required by law. As with Berkeley, the Bronx, and many other cases, the Postal Service is going through a relocation process without … Read More
Why did the Stamford post office close? Conflicting answers, disturbing questions
The Postal Service closed the Atlantic Street post office in Stamford, Connecticut, on September 20, 2013, on two-days’ notice to customers. A USPS press release dated September 18 explains that the closure was due to the fact that the Postal Service was advancing with the sale of the building but had not yet been able to arrange a new location … Read More
Iowa City post office relocation not going as promised
The Postal Service is relocating the main post office in Iowa City, and after promising city officials that the new office would be downtown, the Postal Service is now looking at two locations that aren't near downtown. The public may submit comments until November 1, but it's not likely they will have much effect on what happens. Read more.
Coralville, IA post office relocating to carrier annex in industrial zone
City officials in Coralville, Iowa, are fighting the Postal Service's decision to relocate the main post office to a carrier annex in an industrial zone unsuitable for retail use. City Councilor Mitch Gross said he wasn't surprised by the decision. “I felt at the public input meeting they weren’t taking our concerns seriously.” The city will appeal the relocation … Read More
Sale of historic Stamford Post Office challenged in federal court
The historic post office in Stamford, Connecticut, closed on Friday, September 20, with just two days’ notice to customers. The Postal Service has made arrangements to sell the post office to a Westchester developer who plans to tear down a section of the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The sale, however, is now being challenged … Read More
Postal Service closes Stamford CT post office: A “relocation” with no new location
The Postal Service is closing the historic 1916 post office in Stamford, Connecticut, on Friday — without ever having conducted a discontinuance study. That’s because the Postal Service classified the closing as a “relocation” rather than a “discontinuance.” Relocation decisions are covered by a different set of postal regulations, which are much less stringent than the regulations for closures, and … Read More
PRC dismisses appeal to stop Berkeley post office sale
An appeal to stop the sale of the historic 99-year-old post office in Downtown Berkeley was dismissed by the Postal Regulatory Commission on Tuesday. The appeal, filed by Mayor Tom Bates, contends that the U.S. Postal Service should select a site for the Berkeley main post office’s relocation before selling the building and did not consider how the sale will … Read More
Is there a pattern here? Three more post offices closing over “lease disputes”
The Postal Service has a long history of using manufactured problems over lease negotiations to close post offices by emergency suspension, to initiate a discontinuance procedure, and to justify relocations to smaller spaces. The Postal Service typically tells the media that the landlord terminated the lease or the parties couldn’t come to an agreement. Just as typically, the landlord reveals … Read More
Post office in Foxboro MA to be sold but office not closing, just relocating, somewhere
The Postal Service plans to close the post office in Foxborough, Mass., and sell the building. Operations would move to Mansfield, and a small retail office would open to replace the office on Wall Street. According to the Postal Service, this means that the post office isn't really closing. “We’re not closing any post office. We’re going to relocate the … Read More
Two post offices in Iowa to close: Not to worry, they’re just “relocations”
The Postal Service has announced plans to close two post offices in Iowa. The main post office in downtown Iowa City will be closed and replaced with a new, smaller facility, location yet-to-be-determined. It’s also closing the office in Coralville, and opening a retail space in the carrier annex, on the outskirts of town. The Postal Service is calling both … Read More
Going, going, gone: Historic post offices on the GSA’s auction block
When journalists ask the Postal Service which post offices might be sold, they’re typically referred to the USPS-CBRE website, as if it represents a complete list. But there are other post offices for sale, and a few of them are currently listed on the GSA auction site. Apparently, selling these properties didn’t turn out to be the boon the Postal Service may … Read More
Berkeley mayor files appeal with the PRC to stop the closure and sale of his city’s historic post office
Tom Bates, the Mayor of Berkeley, California, has written a letter to Ruth Goldway, Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission, informing the PRC that he is “personally appealing the sale of the Berkeley Main Post Office because this transaction is not a relocation of services, it is in fact a sale of the historic building.” Mayor Bates notes that the … Read More