More than two years after it began looking for a location for a second Bethesda post office, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has finally found a spot in the yet-to-be-built Westbard project from developer Equity One.
Richard Hancock, real estate specialist with USPS, notified county Regional Services Center Director Ken Hartman of the news last week in a letter.
Hancock wrote that USPS has agreed with Equity One on a space near the corner of Ridgefield Road and Westbard Avenue, though the exact location of the 2,000-square-foot retail post office hasn’t been determined. Neither has the timing of the project’s construction.
Equity One is seeking new zoning through the Westbard Sector Plan to allow for redevelopment of its shopping center properties on each side of Westbard Avenue. The County Council will take up the sector plan early next year. Once it’s approved, Equity One would have to go through a separate Planning Department approval process for its project, making it likely that construction of the post office space is years away.
In 2012, as part of the struggling agency’s downsizing effort, the USPS shut down both of its downtown Bethesda post offices—one at the historic Bethesda Post Office building on Wisconsin Avenue and the other at 7001 Arlington Road.
USPS sold both properties and opened a new downtown post office location at 6900 Wisconsin Ave.
In May 2013, Hancock met with local officials and residents to announce USPS would seek a location for a second Bethesda post office because it felt the area had proven to have enough customer volume.
