COLUMBUS, Ohio — Neighbors of a Greyhound bus terminal in west Columbus are running out of patience after a Franklin County judge agreed to an extension for Barons Bus to reduce operations at the terminal on North Wilson Road.
“We just want some semblance of safety brought back,” said Heidi Wetzel-Obelenus.
She said the noises from the terminal sometimes keep neighbors up at night.
“It is just constant with the screaming, yelling, profanities and threats,” she said.
The bus terminal operators and the city had originally agreed to move pick-ups and drop-offs from North Wilson Road to a new third terminal. The location would then only be used for transfers, reducing the amount of activity and impact on the neighborhood.
Now they have until Jan. 3 to make the move.
Lawyers for Barons Bus and Greyhound wrote in the request for an extension that they need more time to “transition Wilson Rd. from a full-service bus terminal to a transfer station and open the third pick-up and drop-off location.”
The motion mentions a possible new location on East Mound Street but does not mention specifics.
The North Wilson Road location opened in June 2023 and quickly drew safety concerns from neighbors. In October, a man was shot and killed at the location.
The City of Columbus objected to the extension. City Attorney Zach Klein said he plans to hold the operators accountable to the new January deadline.
“We see them moving to transfers only as per the agreement we struck over the summer. We were hopeful that would happen in September but they asked for a continuance and the judge granted it over our objection, so the status quo will remain for the end of the year but we will continue to work with them on the business side to find a third location,” Klein said.
Neighbors are hoping the new agreement will restore peace in the neighborhood.
Jo Knight lives just a few doors down. She has had to install cameras and pay more attention when she is outside.
“We just want it gone,” she said. “I mean it is time for it to go. They need to move on. It shouldn’t have been here in the first place.”