CHAPEL HILL - The U.S. Postal Service is working with a Raleigh property manager and others to preserve a longtime post office at Timberlyne Shopping Center.

Residents who use the post office also visit Timberlyne’s grocery store, shops and restaurants, said Nick Schuman, a leasing agent with Rivercrest Realty Associates.

“It’s important as a neighborhood center that we have a post office,” he said.

USPS real estate specialist Marla Larsen-Williams told the Chapel Hill Town Council about the plan Monday night. An architect is studying the current space and considering possible smaller floor plans, she said. They won’t consider relocating until they’ve exhausted their options for using part of the roughly 10,000-square-foot office, she said.

The USPS plans to cut its costs by reducing the facility’s retail services to 2,500 square feet and moving the carriers to Carrboro’s post office on James Street, off West Main Street and N.C. 54.

Schuman said renovating the Timberlyne space would leave about 7,500 square feet for lease to another business.

It’s not just about getting the right square footage, Larsen-Williams said. They also need to be sure the space can be renovated without disrupting retail services, she said.

It could be a month or more before the next move becomes clear, but Larsen-Williams said she will keep the community and the post office’s customers updated about any progress.