After three decades in the same location, the Nora post office will have to find a new home.

The U.S. Postal Service leases the space in the Nora Plaza, 1300 E. 86th St., from Target, and the Minneapolis-based company has chosen not to renew the lease, said Donna Hoffman, USPS spokeswoman. Employees found out about the move Friday.

“It’s my understanding that Target owns the land, and they are not renewing our lease,” Hoffman said.

At this time, Target has no plans to remodel or expand its store, said Anna Anderson, Target spokeswoman. Target tore down its old store and rebuilt at the Nora location in 2004.

“It will just be terrible,” said Ruth Hayes, Nora-Northside Community Council president. “Next to the library, it’s our community center.”

The original Nora post office opened in 1961, just south across the parking lot from the current location where the Nora Cafe currently sits. The current branch opened in June 1979 and serves about 30,000 households within the ZIP codes 46240, 46260, 46280 and 46290.

While residents complained about the traffic pattern and tight parking situation, they are upset at the thought of losing their post office.

“That place is always busy,” said Greg Phelps, who uses the post office for business mail.

For Phelps, the Nora branch is convenient and not quite as chaotic as other branches, although he usually had to stand in line for service.

The service’s Chicago office is working to find a space that is vacant to rent as a storefront in the area, Hoffman said. They hope to have at least one clerk on duty.

Carriers will report to nearby branches; none of the 125 employees will lose his or her job, Hoffman said.

Depending on the size of the new location, post office box users also might be able to use new location without changing their addresses, Hoffman said. If there is not enough space for boxes, the Postal Service will work to keep address changes to a minimum.

The agency does not have a timeline for the move but hopes to agree to a month-to-month lease until it can find a new location, Hoffman said.