Nora post office to close

One of the city’s busiest post office branches will close in the coming months to clear the way for a possible expansion of the Target store at Nora Plaza. The USPS leased the property from Target, which now wants it back. The Minneapolis-based chain may be looking at expanding the standard Target into a Super Target as it faces competition from a Whole Foods in the same center, and a new Kroger is under construction nearby. The post office hopes to maintain a retail presence in the area but likely will consolidate its Nora back-office operations into nearby branches, said Donna Hoffman, a USPS spokeswoman. Hoffman said she understands Target is looking either at expanding its store or adding more parking, but a store employee said she was not aware of expansion plans. The USPS, which employs about 125 people at the Nora office, likely would not build a new branch in the area because of a freeze on such projects, Hoffman said.