Houston, TX — The USPS Southwest Area Facilities Service Office (FSO) has announced a developmental project designed to test the Houston real estate market through a process that could ultimately result in the sale of a 16.3 acre Houston General Mail Facility (GMF) property at 401 Franklin Street in downtown Houston. The FSO issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) through its broker for the site on Feb. 25. The Houston GMF property houses the Houston Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC), the Houston Main Post Office (MPO) Retail and Post Office Box services and offices, the Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU), and various other operational and administrative offices. If fully realized, the Developmental Project would result in a sale of the property in exchange for a replacement Houston P&DC facility, a replacement Retail site, and other considerations.
The U.S. Postal Service has received unsolicited offers for the property at 401 Franklin Street, Houston, TX (77001). A RFP process explores the potential for offers for a property which meet specific criteria, while ensuring that the same high level of service is maintained for postal customers.
The RFP contains a set of requirements for any developers interested in purchasing the property to essentially provide a one-for-one replacement facility for the Houston P&DC, as well as a replacement for the Retail and Post Office Box services provided through the Houston Main Post Office (MPO). The preferred area outlined in the RFP calls for locating a replacement for the Houston MPO Retail and Post Office Box operation within the vicinity of the current downtown location. The Houston MPO serves Post Office Box customers for ZIP Codes 77001, 77251, 77252, and 77253.
The preferred area outlined in the RFP calls for locating a replacement for the P&DC facility, along with its associated operations and administrative functions, within the boundaries of the city of Houston. Caller Service operations for large volume Post Office Box customers (ZIP Codes 77201, 77210, 77212, 77213, 77297, 77298, and 77299) would remain with the Houston P&DC.
The RFP closes to developers interested in the Houston GMF property on April 30, 2009. At that time, the Postal Service will begin a thorough review of the offers submitted. If an offer is received which meets the established RFP criteria – and enables the Postal Service to maintain service to customers served through this facility – the Postal Service will move forward to complete a sale of the property. In the event no suitable offers are tendered through the RFP process, the Postal Service will continue to occupy the current Houston GMF facility indefinitely.
Using the RFP process, the Postal Service will explore developmental options for other postal properties in the Houston area in the near future. The RFP process is currently underway for River Oaks Station at 1900 West Gray St. in Houston TX (77019), and the Julius Melcher Station at 2802 Timmons Lane in Houston, TX (77027). In the event the Postal Service moves forward toward a sale of any projects resulting from these RFP processes, a public input process will be initiated.
Like so many other companies today, the U.S. Postal Service is experiencing serious financial challenges due to a number of factors, including declining mail volumes and a lackluster economy. Because of these factors appropriate steps are being taken at this time to both manage costs and increase efficiency. These steps will allow the Postal Service to assure customers that quality service is maintained at reasonable rates.
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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 Retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.
An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.
