By Jason Islas
Staff Writer

December 11, 2013 -- US Postal Service officials said that the Santa Monica's new Post Office will get up to 10 additional parking spaces on site next month.

For some residents who have been frustrated with what they consider to be a crowded and even dangerous on-street parking situation at the new post office location on the corner of Seventh Street and Olympic Boulevard, that’s welcome news.

“That’s fantastic,” said local resident David Garden. “Sure, we’d always want more, but it’s definitely a good start.”

Garden raised concerns with his congressional representatives after he said Postal Service officials failed to make good on a promise to build on-site parking at the new location that replaced Santa Monica’s historic Fifth Street facility, shuttered in June. ("Postal Officials Promised More Parking at New Santa Monica Facility, Residents Say," December 9)

Garden pointed to a letter sent by US Postal Service Vice President of Facilities Tom Samra.

That letter, sent in June 2012, “did state USPS would provide onsite parking at the new location,” said USPS Spokesperson Richard Maher, in an email to The Lookout Tuesday.

But there is still no onsite customer parking at the new facility. A large portion of the property’s north end, near Colorado Aveneu, remains open to delivery trucks carrying large amounts of mail.

“Currently there is only onsite parking for Bulk Business Mail customers,” Maher said. “There were plans to also configure a parking lot at the northern most end of the property for retail customers.”

While the project wasn’t completed in time for the new facility’s July opening, Maher said that customers can expect eight to 10 new spots opening on site “in about a month.”

Garden said that he thinks it’s an ideal location for parking.

“It seems like there’s a lot of extra space there,” he said.

And while the new parking could relieve some of the pressure on the 44 parking spaces on Seventh Street, Garden and others think something more needs to be done.

“I do think that the perpendicular parking does need to be addressed by the City,” Garden said, referring to the 44 on-street parking spaces.

Many patrons believe the parking spaces create a dangerous situation since their orientation requires drivers to back out into two lanes of opposing traffic when they leave. ("Parking Troubles Patrons at New Santa Monica Post Office," December 4)

City traffic engineers are looking into how to best address the situation, since the parking spaces were put in place before City officials knew of the Postal Service’s plans to turn the Seventh Street building -- originally only a sorting station -- into a full-service post office.

The 44 spaces were put there to replace parking permanently lost along Colorado Avenue due to the coming Expo Light Rail line.