The U.S. Postal Service shuttered its downtown San Marcos post office Jan. 26 and reopened two days later in a newly remodeled facility at 210 S. Stagecoach Trail.

USPS spokesman Sam Bolen said the new location offers significantly improved parking and access near the intersection of Wonder World Drive and Hunter Road on the southern side of San Marcos.

Parking was limited at the former post office, at 301 N. Guadalupe St., and most patrons were required to park along the roadway, he said.

"That was one of the biggest problems—parking on the road," Bolen said. "Guadalupe Street can be very busy, and not a week passed, if not a day, that we didn't have some kind of auto mishap there."

The new facility offers an expanded retail counter and new post office boxes. Customers who had P.O. boxes at the downtown office will retain their box number and 78667 ZIP code, so no change of address is necessary, Bolen said.

Hours also remain the same—Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Mail carriers have been using the Stagecoach Trail building since 2008. Bolen said the move allows the USPS to streamline operations and reduce costs.

"Given the current financial situation of the [USPS], we thought it was a prudent move," he said. "We should save quite a lot of money by combining those locations."

Customers may also send mail from the contract postal unit at the Office Depot store at 201 Springtown Way, Bolen added.

The USPS sold the former post office to an Austin-based company organized as 301 N. Guadalupe LLC. The building is more than 50 years old.