Union Square post office moving to tiny Bow Street storefront?

[ron_newman]

The latest Planning Board agenda includes a proposal by the US Postal Service to convert what is now the Parisian Style wig shop, 18 Bow Street, to a new post office. Here are the submitted plans and the report by the city planning staff.

I don't think the plans will affect or displace the adjoining Dance Union, Cafe Tango, and Union Square Donuts, but I can't tell for sure.

The plans don't show any parking or loading areas at all, so I have no idea how the Post Office is going to run its fleet of delivery trucks out of this little storefront ETA: Looks like that's all moving to Chelsea?. Compared to the current Post Office building overlooking the end of Prospect Street, this place is tiny.

Comments

[42itous.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the East Arlington P.O. which is a storefront with no discernible loading area. Still, better than closing altogether. :(

[ron_newman]

But that's just a branch. This is our city's main post office. I think all deliveries are run from Union Square, since that's where you have to go to pick up held mail (even if you live down the street from the Davis office).

[42itous.livejournal.com]

Oh, I didn't realize that: I thought the Davis P.O. was the main office. I was disappointed when I heard a couple years ago that they were planning to close the Union Sq office, but if that's the main one that makes the decision even more preposterous!

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

As an aside, you can inform the post office you would prefer Day st for held mail, and they'll swap you over. I did that two years ago after all my international packages kept ending up in Union despite being significantly closer to Davis.

[ron_newman]

I did not know that! Is there a special form to fill out, or do you just tell the clerk at the counter?

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

There is something missing here. Right now the Union Square PO is the central one for the city, so if you have to go pick up a package, chances are it's there. I read all the attachments and do think they are trying to move to a storefront that's more centrally located in the square with better foot traffic. But I never got a good read on whether this was a) permanent (are they renovating the other building) b) supplanting the existing building (are they moving the distribution?)

USPS has definitely been closing POs across the country, but it's hard to see how if they were closing POs in our area, that one would be the one of choice to close.

TL, dr, I think I'm missing something here.

[ron_newman]

The Postal Service is selling the Union Square Post Office building. To whom, I don't know.

Hmm, the Patch article says the USPS will be "shifting its carrier operation and incoming mail center to Chelsea." Does that mean we'll now have to go to Chelsea to pick up packages and held mail? I sure hope not.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's news.

Going to Chelsea would be a PITA. In fact, all the current locations of POs in the city are a PITA. Day St has no parking to speak of, Winter Hill DOES but is in the middle of an awkward intersection, and Union Square is a cluster to get in and out of.

I realize that not everyone takes their packages to the PO in a car, but at least some people besides me must.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

I had read about them selling that building. I thought it was that they were looking for a buyer, but hadn't seen this part about being close to a sale. Such a sale would be public record. How do we look that up? If it were privately owned property, it might not be on record until after the sale. But it's Federally owned property, so there's nothing private about this sale. It must be possible to find out, but I don't know how. Michael Glavin, or someone from his office, almost certainly does, though, so I'm going to say it's strategic for him to say (as quoted in that article you linked to) "They did not tell me," which is sort of the mother of all dodges. Oh, Somerville! you never disappoint in your political wangling.

[ron_newman]

When I look up United States Postal Service as a grantor or grantee in Somerville at Middlesex South Registry of Deeds, I see no sale of the 237 Washington Street building. However, I do see two USPS leases dated June 7, 2013, for not just 16-18 Bow Street, but also 321-323 Somerville Avenue and 20-22 Bow Street. Now I'm wondering what other businesses might be displaced by the new Post Office.

ETA: Looks like 20-22 Bow Street is just for lease of two parking spaces. Both of the leases take effect on September 1, 2013 and run for 10 years, followed by 3 optional five-year terms.

[ron_newman]

The current Union Square post office is still for sale, for $2.4 million, according to a short Boston.com article posted this morning.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

With regard to the mentioned shift of carrier operations and incoming mail center to Chelsea, I don't believe this would mean that folks have to go to Chelsea to get packages. There is actually already such a center in Chelsea, and my guess is that they would centralize more of the same type of sorting and distribution there. The one in Chelsea is not an actual post office for conducting business; there is a different branch for that.

[blinkidybah.livejournal.com]

Frig, does that mean Parisian Style closed already? That place was great for costumers, bummer.

[ron_newman]

Parisian Style is still open but will close on August 25. According to a sign in their window, they will reopen on September 3 at 657 Eastern Avenue, Route 60 Plaza in Malden.