IRS plan not finalized

An Internal Revenue Service spokesman said last week that no decision has been reached on the future of its bustling Northeast campus.
At the same time, Bill Cressman indicated that the IRS is considering a number of options, including moving all or part of its operation to the existing 30th Street Post Office building.
U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum has indicated that the federal government asked for his assistance in moving the operation from 11601 Roosevelt Blvd.
The postal service property sits on 24 acres, but will move next year to a site under development on Lindbergh Boulevard in Southwest Philadelphia. The postal service wants to be closer to Philadelphia International Airport.
A developer wants to buy the site from the University of Pennsylvania, with plans to modernize the main building and build an 1,800-car garage on the site of the annex. The ground would then be leased to the federal government.
Penn, though, has not agreed to sell the property yet. It would like to use a portion of the site for research programs.
Renovations could not start until the postal service moves, meaning the IRS relocation is probably about four years away. At present, 5,100 employees work at the Boulevard location.
Cressman said the IRS would work with the National Treasury Employees Union if it agrees to move operations. ••