The U.S. Postal Service office on South University in Ann Arbor has evaded closure, U.S. Rep. John Dingell announced today.

The office in August was placed on a list of 27 branches in Michigan that could close due to budget cuts.

Today's announcement comes after a grassroots community effort sprang up to convince USPS to keep the office at 1210 S. University Ave. near the University of Michigan's Central Campus. Several entities - including the Ann Arbor City Council, South University Area Association, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority and Dingell's office - lobbied against the proposed closure.

"My constituents in Ann Arbor - be they students, residents or local business owners - are heavy users of this station," Dingell said in a statement. "Students use it between classes. Local business use it for whatever postal needs they have, and also have benefited from the foot traffic this station produces, as post office customers eat and shop in surrounding businesses."

The Ann Arbor City Council unanimously approved a resolution in September calling for officials to save the post office.

"I am so pleased to learn that the postal service has chosen to keep the station open," City Council Member Christopher Taylor, D-3rd Ward, said. "It is a very important part of the fabric of the South University and surrounding community and a great benefit to students, permanent residents and business owners alike."

USPS is facing a financial crisis that's led it to consider major budget cuts. As of Oct. 9, USPS was considering eliminating 371 of its 37,000 branches. USPS may also eliminate a day of delivery to save costs.

AnnArbor.com's Ryan Stanton contributed to this story.

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.