Image courtesy of Embarc

In a last-minute change of plans, the U.S. Postal Service won’t anchor the ground floor of the pending $90 million Allston Post housing development, developer Eden Properties said.

The Boston-based developer received approval in 2024 for a 169,131 square-foot redevelopment of a commercial block at 25-39 Harvard St., including 170 apartments and 5,265 square feet of retail space planned for the new post office branch.

The neighborhood’s postal branch, located in a single-story building on the site, closed in 2019 due to structural deficiencies.

Boston City Council President Liz Breadon said the nearest post office branch at 424 Washington St. in Brighton is insufficient to serve the two neighborhoods. 

“When you go there, there’s long lines and it’s very unsatisfactory as far as providing service to a large population,” Breadon said in an interview. “We thought we were making progress, and we are not taking this lightly.”

Eden Properties had been in discussions with the U.S. Postal Service from the outset when it proposed the Harvard Avenue project in 2022, and recently had been in active lease negotiations, the company said.

“This is a disappointing and unexpected reversal, particularly given the Postal Service’s prior commitment to the community,” Eden Properties Principal Noah Maslan said in a statement.

A U.S. Postal Service spokesperson did not respond to emails seeking comment.

The Postal Service notified the city in June 2025 that it would reestablish the post office branch in Allston, and had recently agreed to lease terms, the developer said.

Breadon said she has contacted the local delegation of federal officials about the issue.

Eden Properties received a $54 million construction loan from Citizens Bank in September, and demolition of the existing buildings was completed last fall.

Cranshaw Construction is overseeing the project.

Image courtesy of Embarc