Last month, the U.S. Postal Service announced that it had come to agreement with Novare Group — the developer of 360 — to sell the current downtown post office site and to relocate the post office in early 2013. Novare is looking at building a new high-rise development on the current low-rise site.
Now, the U.S. Postal Service has confirmed the they will close the site next year and that they do not plan to open another downtown site. Once the site closes, downtown post office customers will need to go to the South Congress post office location for USPS service.
The downtown post office building may be the worst structure constructed downtown in the last century. It wastes a prime central block (Block 51) with an enormous elevated parking lot. It leaves all four sides devoid of retail, restaurants or cultural use. It places the structure in the middle of the block, far from the street and close to parked cars. It wastes a prime tall-building lot with a tiny 2 floor structure.
With mounting financial troubles and shifting demand for postal services, the USPS has been closing Post Office locations across the country. With the impending sale of the downtown site, it is no surprise that the USPS will not open a new site downtown. However, it is unfortunate that the growing pool of downtown residents — many who do not own cars — will no longer have a Post Office that they can walk to.
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