UPDATE (adds new information) The U.S. Postal Service has informed the Town of Westport it intends to move the Main Post Office to the Playhouse Square Shopping Center, 275 Post Road East, First Selectman Gordon Joseloff announced today. He said he was disappointed in the decision.
The Postal Service said it has selected Playhouse Square Shopping Center, 275 Post Road East, as the site for the new Main Post Office.. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
A Feb. 18 letter to Joseloff from Joseph J. Mulvey, a Postal Service Real Estate Specialist, gave no timetable for the move. The Postal Service announced in September 2009 that hard times had forced it to sell its building at 154 Post Road East it has occupied since its opening in 1936.
In a statement, Joseloff said: “We told the Postal Service last summer that the best location would be to remain in the present building. We had hoped an accommodation would be reached with the purchaser of the building to allow a small Postal Service presence to remain there.”
In his letter, Mulvey said, “We believe this new site will provide the community with an efficient, modern facility that offers a safe working environment for our employees and a level of service expected by our customers.”
It was not immediately clear which store in the shopping center was targeted for the postal facility. There are four vacancies in Playhouse Square. One is soon to be occupied by Kennedy’s All American Barber Club. The other vacancies were previously occupied by Danskin, Curtain Exchange, and Derma Clinic. (Updates with four vacancies instead of three in a previous version of this story.)
A representative of the shopping center’s owner said no contract has been signed and would not disclose which store is under consideration for the Postal Service.
No sale of the present building has taken place, but a Feb. 11 letter from the Postal Service to the state’s Historic Preservation Officer said a transfer was imminent pending clarification of issues about the building’s historic nature.
A copy of the letter and the draft of an agreement to resolve the outstanding historic preservation issues were sent to the town’s Historic District Commission office.
A real estate source said the Postal Service had a contract with a buyer, a New York real estate group, which only awaited resolution of the historic preservation issues. The site had attracted numerous developers, the source said.
In his letter, Mulvey noted that the Postal Service had advertised for space to locate its operations in Westport. “Based on the results of the advertisement, the Postal Service has selected the property located at 275 Post Road East, the Playhouse Square Shopping Center, as the new location for the Post Office,” he said.
The Postal Service had announced in June 2010 that it had narrowed its site search for the new Main Post Office to the present building, Playhouse Square, and 645 Post Road East, in the shopping center anchored by Fresh Market. (See WestportNow June 2, 2010)
In his letter, Mulvey told Joseloff that as provided in postal regulations, “your office may offer comments on the selected location within the next 30 days.” It said comments should be directed to the Vice President, Facilities, and addressed to his attention. “A response will be provided within 15 days,” Mulvey said.
Dave Matlow contributed reporting for this story.
One more thoughtless, dumb and self destructive action for the US postal service.
Already reeling from the effects of folks doing their postal chores on line, the move to this location, because of the parking and traffic considerations, will push more of us to do more of our communication by email, purchase stamps on line and use UPS or Fed Ex for packages. With planning like this, it will serve the USPS right when they go out of business completely.
Has any consideration been given to the parking situation at Playhouse Square?
Nina Streitfeld
Obviously not- The parking there is already terrible at anytime during the day.
The traffic is going to be a complete disaster in there.
Good luck!
Mr. Mulvey has selected the wrong, if not the worst location for his new post office.
It needs to be highly stressed to the USPS, that this shopping center can not handle the parking that is required, nor can it manage the increased traffic flow that will be present. No doubt, it will drive business from existign stores in the center.
It’s simply the wrong location. Any due diligence at all on this site by the “Postal Service Real Estate Specialist” would have raised a red flag on these traffic and parking challenges.
Hopefully this does not become an “I told you so” moment for the town later down the road.
Postal Service Real Estate Specialist? Seriously? That’s a misnomer if I’ve ever heard one. As everyone else has stated, the parking there, is already horrendous. The PO traffic will only add to the burden to the existing business’. I’m going to go out on a limb here and take a guess that the PSRES didn’t actually visit the “site,” but instead viewed it on paper and determined that the numbers looked good.
I suppose, the restaurant and Playhouse wouldn’t mind PO patrons using their parking lot and walking over. Yeah, right.
Should have stayed where they were and renovated.
Ms. Weisen,
“…the restaurant and Playhouse wouldn
Rich, I’m sure they would mind if they’re having a matinee and their parking is for their patrons, only. They’re limited in parking for Playhouse/restaurant events, as well and close it off to additional parking such as for Winslow. I’m familiar w/ this as I occasionally walk my dogs there and have been turned around. Yes, during the daytime hours/weekday, which is when the PO would be open.
Wonder if an application for a double-deck garage will ever face our P&Z;on this. Am having a hard time working through how the present parking lot can accomodate more vehicles. Any one have any good ideas???