Following a meeting last week with town leaders and U.S. Rep Jim Himes (D-4), New Canaan’s highest elected official said Monday that he’s “very confident” that the U.S. Postal Service will find an appropriate, long-term location here.
Given collaboration between the postal service and developers, areas outside of the very center of town—on Cross, Vitti and Pine Streets, say—are among those on the table as possible locations, First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said.
“We went through the whole myriad of specs, we explained the parking in town” including what ratios the Zoning Regulations require, and explained “what areas of town were more conducive than the dead center of town,” Mallozzi said during a press briefing in his office.
A meeting held Thursday at Mallozzi’s office was attended by the first selectman, New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tucker Murphy, Himes, Eryn Bingle, special counsel for economic development and special projects for Himes, and from the USPS, Tatiana Roy from marketing, David LeTourneau from New England Facilities Customer Relations, District Manager David Mastroianni, Jr. and Christine Dugas from corporate communications.
Crediting Himes for helping bring the town and postal service together as well as the congressman’s strong support, and calling our local postal workers—Michael, Veronica, Steve and Nancy— “second to none” and part of the “fabric of our town,” Mallozzi said the postal service officials were “very competent” and said they’re making a “50- to 100-year decision.”
The question most New Canaanites are asking themselves now is: Where will the Post Office end up? (It’s current lease at 90 Main St. extends for about another six months, with a month-to-month option after that, officials say. During Monday’s briefing, Mallozzi said that the Post Office would move from its current location directly into a new longtime space, with no temporary home in between.)
Plans were filed Oct. 6 with the town for a new 3.5-story structure at 16 Cross St. that would include a 7,000-square-foot street-level commercial space (half of which could be occupied by the Post Office), 14 residential units above and 54 parking spaces (including underground).
A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Sturgess Room at the New Canaan Nature Center to discuss the proposal. During the first public hearing, some concerns were raised about requests for amendments to the town’s Zoning Regulations that came packaged with the request to build the mixed-use structure.
Officials at last week’s meeting with the postal service did not delve into details about 16 Cross St. or any other specific site, Mallozzi said.
Murphy said that, before the meeting, she’d been skeptical about whether or not the Post Office fully intended to remain in New Canaan and she is “fully convinced now that they are absolutely committed to finding a permanent location and I think we will get there.”
Calling it a “really good meeting,” Murphy noted that questions were asked about how the USPS has solved for finding new locations in nearby towns including Stamford and Westport, and whether flexibility was granted in those instances in terms of space and parking.
Part of what may prompt USPS officials to work hard and find a home for a New Canaan Post Office is that it’s a revenue-generator for the federal service, she said.
Mallozzi and Murphy said they left the meeting with a clear chain of communication in place, and that anyone wishing to inquire about possible locations can reach out to either of them (or the USPS officials directly).
Mallozzi said the Post Office made clear that it has specific needs on which it cannot bend—such as having a 30-foot (as opposed to 20-foot) truck, and that he himself came away with an understanding that finding a long-term new home for the Post Office in New Canaan was a “layered process” that would take some more time.
Himes’ office forwarded this statement regarding the matter:
“New Canaan’s residents deserve to have a post office and it’s important that we move this process forward as quickly as possible. I will continue to be personally involved to ensure that New Canaan has a full-service post office.”