After years of delay, Allston’s Post Office is slated for reconstruction by the start of next year.

The original Allston Post Office closed after a record-breaking North American Blizzard dropped nearly two feet of snow, exacerbating its structural issues. In 2021, Eden Properties, a developer, purchased the site and planned to build a new mixed-use building. Within their plan included a space for a new post office. In addition, the developer proposed 170 housing units as well as a parking garage with 58 spaces.

In the four years since, however, plans to reopen the space ran in fits and starts. Earlier this year, after persistent petitioning by local residents, The Harvard Crimson reported that construction was slated to begin by the summer. Eight months later, the site is still inactive.

According to Lizzie Torres, an Allston resident working in housing policy, the delays are attributed to difficulties navigating the city’s approval process. She says that access to the sole post office is crucial for folks in the Allston area, especially considering its high population of renters, who frequently move around. 

Optimism is beginning to tinge conversations about the prospects for the post office.

“I’ve spoken with the developer, and they are […] ready to start demolition on the old building,” says Allston-Brighton District Councilor Elizabeth Breadon. “They’re sort of starting out the final details for the requirements […] for a retail post office on the side as well as with the United States Postal Service.” 

Breadon said the Boston City Council believes it is in a good position to advance the project, but USPS staff cuts have complicated the process. Both Torres and Breadon said in the past, the main reason for the delay was worrying about funding for the project, including rising interest rates, tariffs making materials harder to buy, and construction loans.

Allston resident La’Femme Bolden says that  the lack of a neighborhood post office is an inconvenience and extra costs that present an unnecessary burden for residents. She says that residents have had to travel to Cleveland Circle or the Brighton Post Office.

However, the impasse may be coming to an end.

Breadon said demolition is supposed to start this fall, with reconstruction beginning next year. ■