East Union Post Office slated for spring revival
The U.S. Postal Service has lined up a contractor to ready its new East Union Post Office site for business.
USPS had to close the post office in January to make way for redevelopment of Midtown Center at 23rd and Union. Lake Union Partners started demolition at Midtown in August for its seven-story mixed-use development with 430 apartments on the Midtown site in September.
Central District residents weighed in on three viable sites in which to relocate the East Union Post Office back in May. The former Electric Lady Bicycles space, 2207 E. Union St., was announced to be the new post office site in June.
USPS has signed a 10-year lease with Lake Union Partners for the retail space at its The Central Apartments building across from Midtown Center, which took effect on Aug. 1.
The East Union Post Office contractor met with USPS representatives for a pre-construction meeting on Oct. 23.
“They are going to start the modifications in a couple weeks,” said Seattle Postmaster Trent McNeal. “I did get the projected completion as Feb. 28, which is a lot earlier than I thought.”
The new space will not offer P.O. boxes, and a self-service kiosk that was relocated from Midtown Center will remain at the Broadway Post Office, which is where customers were redirected after East Union closed.
“Their revenue has definitely increased since we closed East Union,” McNeal said.
A drive-up mailbox was installed in the Grocery Outlet parking lot at East Union and MLK Jr. Way following a request from the community back in May, and a mobile post office is also available there 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. McNeal said that service will be offered until East Union is ready to open.
One issue with the new space is that it shares its restrooms with the adjacent Tacos Chukis restaurant, McNeal said, and the post office has to remain secure.
“We can’t do that. They can’t have access to any of our facilities,” he said, “and that’s worked into the February completion date.”