ANN ARBOR, MI — An upscale neighborhood in Washtenaw County’s Superior Township is suing the U.S. Postal Service in hopes of getting an Ann Arbor ZIP code.
The Glennborough Homeowners Association filed its case in U.S. District Court on Sept. 15.
For over two decades, the subdivision has had an Ypsilanti ZIP code, 48198, but its residents want to be part of 48105.
The subdivision is located off Ford and Cherry Hill roads, just east of Ann Arbor by Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
Homes there have sold between $776,800 and $918,058 on average the last two years, according to real estate firm The Bouma Group, which describes it as a prestigious, 126-home subdivision with houses ranging from 2,700 to 7,500 square feet on lots one to five and a half acres in size.
It’s located in the Ann Arbor Public Schools district and is significantly closer to the Ann Arbor post office on Green Road than Ypsilanti’s post office “for purposes of picking up undelivered mail and packages,” the lawsuit states.
“Immediately adjacent homeowners, including homeowners east of Glennborough that are further from Ann Arbor, already have the 48105 ZIP code, so it would not become an undue burden for the Ann Arbor post office to serve this neighborhood that is within its existing boundary,” the lawsuit states.
Township Supervisor Ken Schwartz said the township hasn’t taken a position, but he personally thinks the residents' request is reasonable, primarily because it’s a much shorter trip to the Ann Arbor post office and it’s just a matter of convenience.
“We’re chopped up kind of funny,” Schwartz said, noting the township is divided between Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Plymouth ZIP codes.
According to Google Maps, the neighborhood is about four miles from the Green Road post office in Ann Arbor, while it’s about eight miles from the Ypsilanti post office on Adams Street and over 10 miles from the Ypsilanti post office on Huron Street — over 14 miles if taking the highway.
The ZIP code dispute goes back to 1999 when the builder of the subdivision sought to change the ZIP code and initiated litigation against USPS. As part of a settlement that year, the parties agreed the Postal Service would recognize “Superior Township, Michigan 48198” as an authorized last line of address, in place of “Ypsilanti, Michigan 48198.”
The 1999 settlement also stated, “Nothing contained in this order shall prevent the Postal Service from considering ‘Ann Arbor, Michigan’ as an authorized last line of address for Glennborough should circumstances so warrant.”
Residents have been arguing the last several years the change is warranted.
The neighborhood requested the switch to 48105 in late 2015, according to a letter to USPS contained in court filings.
“We identify with northeast Ann Arbor, and we are geographically remote from our current post office in Ypsilanti,” the homeowners association wrote in 2015, saying the land was once part of Ann Arbor’s 48105 ZIP code when developer Richard Russell purchased it in the 1990s.
“Many of us are employed in Ann Arbor, including with University of Michigan, and our children attend Ann Arbor schools. Green Road is our nearest post office and the office we frequent for mailing packages and purchasing stamps, etc.”
USPS denied the request in early 2016, saying ZIP code assignments are based on geographic area and the purpose is to facilitate efficient mail processing.
The Postal Service will not assign ZIP codes solely to provide community identity and it does not generally consider a boundary change unless the current alignment is negatively impacting mail processing, which was not the case with the Glennborough subdivision, USPS argued in 2016.
The neighborhood appealed. After that was denied, the neighborhood pressed the issue again, and USPS responded in 2017 by saying requests to amend ZIP code boundaries could only be considered once every 10 years.
Based on records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the neighborhood argues in the lawsuit “it is undeniable that there are no documents to show that USPS conducted a detailed analysis of the request to change ZIP codes prior to submitting their denial.”
Asked to comment on the lawsuit, USPS spokeswoman Elizabeth Najduch issued a statement mostly reiterating the position USPS took in 2016, saying ZIP code boundaries are developed to facilitate efficient mail delivery and determined by operational needs of the Postal Service.
Because ZIP codes are based on locations of delivery post offices, boundaries often do not correspond to municipal or perceived community boundaries and identity, she said.
Although delivery growth and changing demographics can necessitate adjustments to boundaries to achieve USPS objectives, the general stability of boundaries is essential to prompt and accurate mail distribution, Najduch said.
“As new housing developments emerge, political jurisdictions expand, or areas incorporate into separate communities, delivery is extended from a nearby established Post Office which is capable of accommodating the new territory,” she said.
“As a consequence, many communities throughout the nation have mail delivered from a Post Office with a different name than their community. It is too costly to establish a new Post Office or create new ZIP codes for community identity purposes. ZIP codes and mailing addresses are intended to help us provide prompt and accurate mail service.”
The lawsuit notes the USPS website states: “For many Americans, their ZIP code provides not just a community boundary of some kind, but – along with their physical mailing address – an attribute of their identity.
"ZIP codes may mark a place as home or reflect the perceived identity of a town or neighborhood. In some areas, your ZIP code can be used to determine everything from the value of your property to the school your children attend.”
The homeowners have been in touch with U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn.
“This has been a long-standing issue,” Dingell said. “My constituents have the right for the USPS to seriously consider their request and receive the best service possible from the Postal Service.”
MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:
Write-in candidate for City Council emerges in Ann Arbor’s 1st Ward
Congolese community gathers in Ann Arbor to protest violence in home country
Ann Arbor officials oppose deal to let polluter discharge dioxane into ‘pristine lake’
Om of Medicine employees claim they were fired for speaking against racism
Beyond Juicery + Eatery opens 2 stores in Ann Arbor, with another underway
"try" - Google News
October 03, 2020 at 03:14AM
https://ift.tt/36rUOPb
Upscale neighborhood suing U.S. Postal Service to try to get Ann Arbor ZIP code - MLive.com
"try" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3b52l6K
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Upscale neighborhood suing U.S. Postal Service to try to get Ann Arbor ZIP code - MLive.com"
Post a Comment