Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Says City Prepared to Challenge USPS Over Allston Post Office Closure

Allston elected officials pledged to fight the U.S. Postal Service’s proposed permanent closure of the neighborhood’s post office in a Monday afternoon press conference, escalating a fight over the neighborhood branch that has been closed since 2019.

The press conference gathered city and state leaders — including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, U.S. Representative Ayanna S. Pressley (D-Mass.), State Sen. William N. Brownsberger ’78, and Boston City Council President Elizabeth A. “Liz” Breadon — to denounce the post office’s closure.

The elected officials were joined by the American Postal Workers Union. Scott Hoffman, the union’s national business agent, pledged to “put the fight up now” against potential USPS closures across the city.

Allston has been without its own post office since December 2019, when USPS halted use of the building due to structural problems. USPS initially described this closure as temporary, but the branch never reopened and was sold to Eden Properties in 2021.

Residents have largely relied on the post office in Brighton instead, which sits nearly a mile and a half away from the former Allston branch.

USPS told city leaders that it would reestablish a post office in Allston in 2023, working with Eden Properties to house a new branch in the ground level of a proposed mixed-use development. But USPS backed away from those plans this spring and last month formally proposed permanently closing the branch.

Wu said that the city was prepared to push back if a new branch did not open in the neighborhood.

“If USPS does not reverse course, we are ready to contest this decision legally and formally,” Wu said.

Breadon argued that the lack of a neighborhood post office disproportionally affects residents who depend on in-person postal services, including seniors, immigrants, and small-business owners.

“Our seniors, our immigrant communities, small businesses, and other residents deserve access to basic postal services like P.O. boxes, passports, certified mail, money orders, and delivery of important medications, and government documents,” Breadon said.

“A post office is not a luxury. It is an essential piece of our infrastructure,” she added.

Breadon explained that roughly 87,000 Allston-Brighton residents are currently served by a single post office in the neighborhood, putting strain on the Brighton branch.

She compared the situation to Newton, which she said has a similar population to Allston-Brighton but has 10 post offices.

During the press conference, Breadon encouraged residents to voice their concerns to USPS, which is accepting public comment on the proposed closure until Oct. 11. But some residents still question whether USPS is actually listening.

Bob J. Pessek, an Allston resident for 45 years who attended a Zoom meeting where USPS solicited public comment, said the meeting was “designed for failure.”

He said that the meeting was held in the middle of the day, making it difficult for some working residents to join. And he said for residents who could attend, they were only able to ask questions via the chat, which were answered by USPS officials.

“They never heard your voice,” Pessek said.

Breadon said that USPS has otherwise refused to provide the City Council with any additional information or reasoning for the proposed closure, turning down invitations to attend Council meetings.

Massachusetts USPS spokesperson Judith K. Ferriera reiterated that the service “will review all input before making any final decision.”

“The Postal Service has complied with, and is currently complying with, applicable official regulations with regard to locations being studied for potential permanent closure,” Ferriera wrote in a statement.

Breadon said that USPS’s reversal in Allston was just one component of a broader threat to other cities across the state.

“USPS is just sort of picking off post offices and it’s really detrimental to our communities not to have that essential piece of infrastructure,” Breadon said in an interview.

The proposed Allston closure comes as USPS weighs changes to several post offices across Massachusetts. The agency is also considering permanently closing its Watertown Square branch, plans to temporarily close its Fields Corner branch in Dorchester, and has proposed closing the Colonial Station branch in Springfield.

The proposed closures have sparked backlash from the state’s Congressional representatives. Pressley joined a number of other federal elected officials — including Representatives Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.) and Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.) and Senators Ed J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth A. Warren (D-Mass.) — in calling for “accountability for USPS’ statewide campaign to close post offices.”

The lawmakers accused USPS of engaging in “a coordinated campaign to leverage lease renewals and construction projects as excuses to force unwanted and inappropriate closures.”

“The result is fewer communities with adequate postal presence, worse postal service, and profoundly negative impacts on residents and businesses who rely on their local post office locations,” they wrote.