Post Office Lease in Bunker Hill Mall Not Renewed, Out by December 31

The Post Office in the Bunker Hill Mall will have to leave its location by the end of 2018, and even though it was against their wishes, they will consent and begin looking for a new location in Charlestown this fall.

New England Development told the Patriot-Bridge this week that it had informed the Post Office last year that it would not renew its lease at the end of 2018. Word has been circulating through the Town for some time about that, but the Postal Service had remained optimistic through earlier this year that things could change.

Nothing had become official publicly until this week.

Issie Shait, property operations executive vice president at the Mall, said they realize the Post Office is important to the community, but they believe there are other options.

“Bunker Hill Mall informed the United States Post Office in 2017 that we would not be re-leasing their present space to them at the end of the 2018 calendar year,” she said in a statement. “We realize that the Post Office is an important part of the community providing many services; area residents should be aware that at this time there are multiple UPS and FedEx drop box locations – including one in Ace Hardware – throughout Town and that passport photos and stamp purchases can be done at the local CVS.”

The Post Office is to be out of its Mall location by the end of December.

Steve Doherty, a spokesman for the USPS Northeast area, said it wasn’t the Post Office’s decision to move, and that they are evaluating the needs and options available.

“Moving out of our current Charlestown location was not our decision,” he said. “The landlord has made known his intent not to renew our lease on our current storefront at the end of the year. We are in the process of evaluating our needs and options.”

He said they don’t intend to find another location without consulting the Town first. He said meetings about the process could begin as soon as September.

“Before selecting an alternate location in Charlestown, a public meeting would be held to solicit input from members of the community,” he said. “That could happen as soon as September. We will continue to press forward toward a solution that will provide our Charlestown neighbors with the First Class service they deserve.”

The eviction of Postal Service locations has become a near epidemic in Boston as commercial properties and rents have increased. In addition to Charlestown, the USPS has lost locations in Fenway and Kenmore. They are looking for alternate locations as well there.

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