COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Change often comes with progress, but recent expansions of Nationwide Children’s Hospital have some of its neighbors a little frustrated.
James Denbow has lived on 17th Street for sixteen years, but finding a parking spot in front of his home is an effort. ‘
“It’s almost impossible to find a parking space anymore,” said Denbow.
Around the area of 17th, 17th and Sycamore, you can find a sprinkling of cars parked that have Nationwide Childrens Hospital identification. Why are so many employee cars parked in a residential neighborhood?
“The answer I got from them was, it ‘s easier and more convenient to park here than to wait on a shuttle to get to work,” Said Denbow, who now uses traffic cones to block out a space in front of his house.
There are a number of older and disabled people who live in this area and walking the extra steps is extremely painful for Teresa Johnson. This resident is recovering from knee surgery and has been on both sides of the issue. Johnson is a retired respiratory therapist from Akron. ‘I get it all cause I’ve been there but as it was explained to me, I don’t get the opportunity to displace the homeowner and those who live on the street.’, says Johnson.
NBC4 spoke with administrators from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and they have an idea how to satisfy the residents on 17th and continue to be good neighbors.Watch Better Call Jackson tonight at 6 on NBC4.