Mission Hill Post Office will stay open after all

After interventions by public officials following a closure announcement, a new lease was agreed upon.

Residents of Mission Hill have gotten a stamp of approval for their efforts to save their local post office.

In early June, residents were notified that the one post office in the area was going to close via a flyer posted on the window. The closure of the post office at 1575 Tremont St. would leave residents to walk more than a mile away to the Brookline or Nubian Square locations, the latter of which is already known to be extremely busy.

In response, the residents were outraged.

“We received an outpouring of comments of people who were distraught,” said Sharon Durkan, a Boston City Councilor for District 8, which includes the neighborhood.

So, Durkan and Sen. Ed Markey teamed up to save the Mission Hill post office.

At the center of the controversy was a lease negotiation between the United States Post Office, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the building’s owner, Wingate Companies, a property management, investment and developer company.

David Blumberg, the executive vice president at Wingate Companies, said the company tried negotiating a lease between USPS and HUD for about six years. The lease contained provisions that HUD did not agree to.

HUD has no relationship with the building but had to sign approval for this lease for USPS. It is not clear why.

In the interim, Wingate Companies negotiated one-year extensions with USPS.

Finally, the post office said, “We’re out,” said Blumberg.

Blumberg said Wingate Companies did not want this outcome. It was bad not only for the building but also for the community, which depended on it, he said.

Blumberg said that after a ” hail mary” and a nudge from public officials, USPS and HUD were able to resolve the issue.

“I think everyone is happy,” said Blumberg.

On June 25, Councilor Durkan and Sen. Markey received the news that a 5-year USPS lease was signed with Wingate, which allowed the post office to remain open.

The property at 1575 Tremont St. is home to primarily residential units and a few other commercial spaces.

USPS did not respond to a question about how long the post office has been in this location.

The outcome of this shows the power of community advocacy turned into action, Durkan said.

Durkan said the pressure from the neighborhood, Sen. Markey’s office, and her office was the “secret sauce” that made this all possible.

“While it feels that our lives only grow more digital by the day, people continue to send and receive a host of urgent and sensitive messages by mail,” said Sen. Markey in a statement. “Residents and employees know best that postal service remains a vital public good.”

Markey said he will continue to fight postal closures across Massachusetts.

Durkan said she had watched other post offices close across the country, particularly in rural areas, but never expected to see one close in one of her neighborhoods.

“I think we all know there are certain elements of a perfect neighborhood, and every neighborhood needs USPS to remain a center of commerce,” said Durkan.