Photo by NCinDC
The Georgetown Current reported yesterday that the Georgetown Post Office may be partially converted into condos. According to the article, the Postal Service is planning to sell the property to East Banc and Julian Josephs Co.
The developers would keep the post office open on the first floor, but the second floor would be converted into apartments. Also a new structure would be constructed off the back of the building for more apartments. The construction would result in 13 – 17 new units.
It’s still early in the planning. Many, many hurdles remain. But it seems that the USPS is keen to get the property off its hands. The second floor is empty and the loading dock isn’t really used much anymore. Plus the USPS is totally broke, so it doesn’t exactly feel like sitting on a huge real estate portfolio if it doesn’t have to.
GM is supportive of the addition of residential units like this to the neighborhood (this would join the Hurt Home as two new condo conversions of large historic buildings in the East Village being considered about the same time). They’ll bring more eyes on the street and will support more resident-specific retail like Uptown Valet right across the street.
So long as the post office is maintained in its exact current form and the addition is unobtrusive, GM doesn’t see any reason to object to the project. What do you think?
8 Comments
September 10, 2009 at 11:05 am
As long as they keep the ground floor a Post Office I suppose it is okay. I actually make a point of taking visitors past the Post Office – which as you may know was originally the old customs house back when Gtown was a tobacco port – on tours of the village because it is such a simple yet elegant building. There is something very English market town about it which is appropriate to Georgetown’s history.
September 10, 2009 at 11:39 am
Yeah, it’s hard not to feel a little wary about it, but I think with East Banc on board they’ll do a decent job of it.
September 10, 2009 at 1:31 pm
I have always thought that front area with its landings and stairs would be a great place to do an outdoor performance of some Regency-era play. But you’d have to block off 31st Street to traffic.
September 11, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Don’t like it. USPS budget issues notwithstanding, the building has great historic value and should be preserved as is, without renovation of upstairs and without addition. even if they could maintain the existing envelope (save the back) as is, there would undoubtedly be disturbance to the building – think of all the plumbing lines they would have to run, etc. Where would all these residents park? (to go to your other discussion re parking.) It wouldn’t come close to the (one time) revenue generation potential of selling the upstairs and land for condos, but they could renovate and rent-out the upstairs for public/private functions etc.
September 16, 2009 at 7:33 am
[...] Some interesting news out of Georgetown on the future of the old post office. According to the Georgetown Current, the post office is planning on selling the top floor to East Banc to turn into condos. Apparently the top floor is unoccupied so it seems like a win-win situation for a prime location and a cash strapped USPS. [via Gtown Metropolitan] [...]
September 22, 2009 at 10:02 am
[...] gave the crowd an update on the proposal to turn part of the Georgetown post office into condos. According to him, the Postal Service approached him with the proposal, in part due to the massive [...]
May 5, 2010 at 10:02 am
[...] like EastBanc’s proposals for the Georgetown post office, they are also contemplating building townhouses where the Fillmore School parking lot is right [...]
May 26, 2010 at 10:02 am
[...] build 16-20). EastBanc will come to the ANC to present their plans. When they presented similarly ambitious plans for the post office, they received a pretty warm reception from the ANC and the public. GM [...]