Residents and businesses in Alpharetta used to using 30004 for their ZIP code need to learn a new number. Growth prompted the U.S. Postal Service to change more than 7,000 addresses to a new ZIP code, 30009.
Alpharetta's residents and businesses who have been notified of the change need to use 30009 starting July 1.
Michael Miles, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service, said the agency is carving out the southern part of the 30004 ZIP code to create the 30009 ZIP code. It includes a small portion of Milton.
However, North Fulton and Alpharetta will not add a post office with the growth. Residents must still drive to 2400 Old Milton Parkway east of Haynes Bridge Road in Alpharetta to use the existing facility. Customers receiving package notices, needing to sign for a delivery or wanting to mail a package will continue to use this post office.
"From a customer standpoint, nothing will change in that respect," Miles said.
He said 286 Milton addresses will get the 30009 ZIP code, which includes residences and businesses primarily in the Bethany Road area. No South Forsyth "Alpharetta" addresses will change ZIP codes.
Exact boundaries are difficult to explain because, like most areas of metro Atlanta, municipal boundaries are tricky to decipher. And it is impossible for the Postal Service to match ZIP codes to municipal boundaries because the system is drawn up for the most efficient use, delivery and process of mail.
He said the Postal Service understands community identity and that residents like to document that identity as part of their address.
"We are not always able to accommodate that," Miles said. "We try to work with communities as best as we can."
Miles said a combination of 6,034 residential and 1,299 business addresses are changing.
"Primarily it's being driven by the growth in the area," he said. "That whole area is served by the post office at 2400 Old Milton Parkway."
Anyone who has been in that facility knows it is overstressed, he said. Trailers have been added because of the additional growth. More growth means more deliveries, which means more letter carriers. And more carriers increases the amount of room needed to prepare for delivery routes.
"It's just at the point now where it's more than we can handle at that facility," Miles said.
While customers won't get a new post office, they will get some relief when a mail sorting facility for letter carriers in the 30009 area is built. That will free up approximately 40 parking spaces and lessen congestion around the Old Milton Parkway facility.
The new letter-carrier-only facility is being built in the Ga. 400/McFarland Road area,
He said since the notices were sent out two weeks ago, some customers have called who are not certain if the ZIP code change affects them. If an address was to change its ZIP code, a notice should have been received.
Customers don't need to wait until July 1 to use the new ZIP code. And they don't have to throw out the old stationery or pre-printed address labels.
"Mail will be delivered with old and new ZIP codes for up to a year," Miles said.
After a year the Postal Service will still deliver mail, but using the old ZIP code could cause problems.
"We like to caution after the one year, then you do run the risk of possibly having the mail delayed. Of course, we always will deliver mail if we have a good address," he said.
Change of Address
More than 7,000 businesses and residences received notices recently notifying them their ZIP code will change beginning July 1. All of the changes are to addresses currently part of the 30004 ZIP code. The new ZIP code for this portion of the original area will be 30009. Those who did not receive a notice should keep their 30004 ZIP code.
To get your new ZIP+4 code, visit www.usps.com and choose "Find a ZIP code."
The U.S. Postal Service calculates the following number of addresses will change in the two North Fulton cities:
Alpharetta 7,047
Milton 286
Labels: 30004, 30009, Alpharetta, new zip code
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 8:30 AM
