White Flint’s Technically Kensington Post Office In Need Of New Location

White Flint Mall (file photo)United States Postal Service officials will come to White Flint/North Bethesda on July 10 to discuss finding a new location for the White Flint Mall post office, which according to the agency is technically in Kensington.

For a redeveloping area trying to create a name for itself, getting “White Flint” recognized as an official mailing address might be an important step.

Developers and residents aren’t fully agreed on the North Bethesda vs. White Flint debate. The USPS started recognizing North Bethesda as an official mailing address in the 1990′s, according to a Friends of White Flint post that looks into the origin of the White Flint name.

Rockville remains in the minds of some, despite the southern border for the actual City of Rockville coming no closer than Twinbrook Parkway. But Kensington?

The post office must move to make way for the redevelopment of the mall into a collection of mixed-use commercial and residential buildings situated around a town square. Stakeholders in various community meetings over the last few months have discussed asking that wherever the new post office goes, it no longer be known as Kensington.

Ken Hartman, Montgomery County’s point person for the Bethesda and North Bethesda area, told The Gazette this week that it’s his understanding the USPS is looking for a new post office location in the same White Flint Mall zip code — 20895, which would mean it would remain on the east side of Rockville Pike.

In 2011, Fairfax County got approval from the USPS for the use of Tysons Corner or Tysons as an official address in two zip codes of McLean and Vienna. Like the White Flint area, Tysons Corner is undergoing a massive redevelopment process.

The meeting on the future of the White Flint Mall post office is set for Monday, July 10 at the Shriver Aquatic Center (5900 Executive Blvd.), which officially has a North Bethesda address, according to the county. The meeting will start at 4:30 p.m.

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