SWANNANOA, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Residents in Swannanoa have expressed frustration after receiving a postcard from the United States Postal Service asking for public comments on relocating the town’s post office — without identifying where the new facility might be located.

The former Swannanoa Post Office at 2311 U.S. 70 was destroyed during Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024.

The mailing asks residents to submit written feedback about relocating the Swannanoa Post Office to a new site “within one mile” of its former location at 2311 U.S. 70.

Several residents took to social media this week to question how they are expected to comment on a plan that lacks basic details.

Susan Lowe with Friends of Swannanoa said the postcard arrived asking for feedback about the relocation, but provided little information beyond the general size of the proposed facility.

“It’s asking for comments on the proposal to move the Swannanoa post office, but doesn’t say where this new 5,000-square-foot retail facility is exactly,” Lowe wrote. “No details at all.”

Lowe also pointed out that the postcard instructs residents to mail in their comments.

“So other than being ‘for’ a new post office, what exactly are we supposed to comment on?” she wrote.

Other residents expressed similar frustration, saying the process feels incomplete.

Leland Davis called the mailing “a big nothingburger,” saying the community still lacks basic information about where the facility could be located.

“Why the h*** did they waste all that money printing and mailing us NOTHING?” Davis wrote. “Yeah guys, we need a post office. For 1.5 years now, we need one. We gotta mail in comments to tell you that??”

Another resident, Robin Alexander Hyatt, pointed out that it has been more than 500 days since the original facility closed, and questioned why the process is only now reaching the public comment stage.

According to the Postal Service, the Swannanoa Post Office must be relocated because the previous building was damaged beyond repair. The agency says it is searching for a new location that meets operational needs while remaining convenient for customers.

Until a new facility opens, Swannanoa residents needing postal retail services are being directed to the Asheville-West Grace Post Office on Merrimon Avenue in nearby Asheville.

Buncombe County Commissioner Jennifer Horton said she did not have any information about potential sites the Postal Service might be considering for the new facility.

Efforts by 828newsNOW to reach someone with the Postal Service for additional details about possible locations were unsuccessful.

The Postal Service said community feedback will be considered as it continues the relocation process. Residents wishing to comment are asked to mail their feedback to:

Attn: Swannanoa, NC Main Office Relocation
United States Postal Service
PO Box 27497
Greensboro, NC 27498-1103

The agency has not provided a timeline for when a replacement post office in Swannanoa might open.