Glendale may soon have its own ZIP code, distinguishing it from Ridgewood and hopefully clarifying mail delivery.
The two politicians working on the project, Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Glendale) and Congressman Bob Turner (R-Queens), say it’s a practical step with the benefit of boosting Glendale as a neighborhood.
“Glendale is a unique community and should have its own ZIP code,” Turner said. “Sharing a ZIP code has created numerous, and sometimes dangerous, problems for Glendale residents such as delays in medication delivery and first responder services. Assemblyman Miller and I are asking the USPS to help remedy these issues by taking our application into consideration as soon as possible.”
On May 22, Turner delivered an application for changing the ZIP code to the USPS. Along with the application were letters from residents, businesses and civic organizations backing the idea and a petition with 1,000 signatures.
Miller said this could have an everyday impact on residents’ lives.
The assemblyman said he was recently trying to make a purchase online and when the site asked for his ZIP code, it wouldn’t allow him to pair it with Glendale.
Instead, the site insisted he lived in Ridgewood. He had to call customer support to work out the problem but ended up having to enter his address as a Ridgewood residence.
“My story is just one of many stories; stories of seniors not getting their medications delivered properly or an Access-A-Ride bus that cannot find a house and never shows up. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed,” Miller said. “Real people are affected.”
Turner and Miller noted that Ridgewood and Glendale’s current 11385 ZIP code is assigned to double the population ZIP codes in Queens normally serve.
In addition, the 11384 ZIP code is currently unused and could be easily applied to Glendale, Turner said.
“The USPS would only have to change one digit to make life easier for numerous Queens residents. It would also simplify operations for local USPS employees by reducing the amount of misaddressed mail being caused by redundant street names in Ridgewood and Glendale,” Turner said. “This is a win-win situation.
Assemblyman Miller and I are asking the USPS to help remedy these issues as soon as possible”
The United States Postal Service is currently studying the application and should have an answer by the end of the summer, according to Turner.
