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Fourth Ward residents, pastors and developers urge reconsideration of liquor store at 321–329 S. Kentucky Avenue
Summary
Neighbors, neighborhood leaders and faith leaders told the Evansville Common Council on Monday they oppose a recent change‑of‑use that will allow a former gas station to operate as a liquor store at 321–329 South Kentucky Avenue; they asked the city to review notification procedures and zoning processes used by the Area Plan Commission.
Residents, pastors and neighborhood developers told the Evansville Common Council Monday they oppose a change‑of‑use that would allow a liquor store at 321–329 South Kentucky Avenue and urged the city to change notice rules and review how such uses are approved.
Councilwoman Carruthers, the Fourth Ward representative, said many constituents raised alarms after the property — zoned C‑4 since 1977 — filed an APC (Area Plan Commission) site review and was approved. She told council the location is within walking distance of Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church and Joshua Academy preschool and that neighbors did not receive adequate notice before the APC decision.
Why it matters: Neighbors and community leaders said the store would be adjacent to churches, a preschool and a greenway used by children and families. Speakers asked the city to consider ordinances that would require notification to neighborhood associations, schools and churches within three blocks for certain business changes and to close gaps the group says allow businesses to “slip in” under long‑standing C‑4 zoning without local notice.
What speakers said
- Councilwoman Carruthers (Fourth Ward representative) said the change of use was filed with APC on Feb. 24 and had a site review on March 3. She said the owners told her they were not aware of community opposition and were willing to talk; Carruthers said she will meet with APC and the owners and urged neighbors to join the conversation.
- Reverend Adrienne Brooks, Memorial Baptist Church and Memorial Community Development Corporation, urged the council to adopt what she called a “good neighbor” ordinance requiring notification of neighborhood associations, schools and churches within three blocks before businesses can locate in neighborhoods. “We do not support the liquor store proposed for the corner of Walnut and Kentucky,” she said.
- James Sutton, a resident and neighborhood stakeholder, said the liquor store would harm years of neighborhood investment and revitalization efforts near Joshua Academy and Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church.
- Shauna Jarboe, who said she lives nearby, raised specific permitting and notification concerns, noting APC paperwork requires removal of fuel pumps and tanks per Indiana Department of Environmental Management specifications when a fuel station converts use; she said the permit on file dates to 2019 and appears to be a transfer permit.
- Michael O’Daniel, an area property owner and developer who said he has invested in the neighborhood for decades, said he plans to register the building at 310 S. Kentucky Avenue as a youth ministry and announced publicly that if a liquor license is issued he intends to convert his property to a church; he also cited a city law that retail liquor licenses cannot be issued within 200 feet of a church wall and said proximity measurements will be relevant.
Council reaction and process questions
Council members said they want to investigate how a change of use proceeded without broader neighborhood notice and how the 1977 C‑4 zoning classification created the current situation. Councilwoman Mosby and others said state law establishes a 200‑foot separation rule for certain liquor licenses and staff reported that whether a property requires council review depends on rezoning versus change of use.
No council vote was taken. Council staff and APC were asked to provide information about the permit history, the APC file and the 2019 permit status; Councilwoman Carruthers said she will meet with APC and the owners this week.
What councilors and speakers asked for next
Speakers urged the council to: - Review and, if needed, standardize public notice requirements for APC site reviews and change‑of‑use filings; - Consider a local ordinance that would require notification to neighborhood associations, area schools and churches within a defined radius when a business files a change of use; and - Confirm APC/permit documentation that the former fuel infrastructure will be removed in accordance with Indiana Department of Environmental Management specifications.
Who spoke (selected): Councilwoman Carruthers (Fourth Ward representative); Reverend Adrienne Brooks (Memorial Baptist Church / Memorial Community Development Corporation); James Sutton (resident); Shauna Jarboe (resident/neighborhood stakeholder); Michael O’Daniel (property owner/developer).
