The U.S. Postal Service has agreed to move the Snellville post office to a city-owned former bank branch in order to make room for a new downtown development project, the city announced.
The current post office, on Oak Road, is in the path of the planned Towne Center Greenway, a walking and biking path that will be part of the Towne Center development. The project is expected to create a walkable city center with homes, businesses and community spaces, including the greenway.
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In addition to being an obstacle in the Towne Center plan, the Oak Road post office has a “difficult parking and traffic pattern” and significant unneeded space due to mail delivery functions moving to a Centerville facility, the city said in a release. Snellville bought the vacant SunTrust building on Wisteria Drive in June, after the city council approved of the purchase the previous month.
The Postal Service signed a deal with the city July 16 allowing Snellville to acquire the Oak Road post office and agreeing to move to the former bank branch on Wisteria Drive. The agreement allows Snellville to pursue work on Towne Center and the greenway on the block where the Oak Road post office currently sits.
The city will assist financially in the renovation of the Wisteria Drive building for the USPS’s use, and then exchange that property for the Oak Road property once the renovations are complete. The eventual developer for the Oak Road property will compensate the city for that property’s value.
“This is a major win for the Towne Center project,” said Snellville Economic Development Director Eric Van Otteren in a press release. “The post office was one of the last major pieces of property the city needed to acquire to make this dream a reality. Through fruitful discussions with the USPS, we were able to strike a deal which will make room for more quality growth in the Towne Center for decades to come.”
The transition to the new post office location is ongoing; USPS has 90 days to review the project and hold a public meeting about moving to the Wisteria Drive building.
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