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Evansville council adopts zoning limits for new residential recovery homes
Summary
The council approved Ordinance G 2025-11, which sets separation and density rules for newly proposed residential recovery facilities; existing facilities will not be closed under the ordinance, council members said.
The Evansville Common Council on July 14 adopted Ordinance G 2025-11, a zoning amendment that establishes distance and density regulations for new residential recovery facilities in the city.
Councilwoman Carruthers, who introduced the ordinance, told colleagues the measure is aimed at “address[ing] the density and regulation of residential recovery facilities.” She said the separation standard in the ordinance is 3,000 feet for new facilities and that "this is now for these new facilities coming" and "does not close down some facilities that were already in existence and use for this purpose." The ordinance’s language distinguishes existing, operating facilities from new, proposed facilities requiring zoning review.
Residents who submitted comment supported the ordinance. Shauna Jarboe of 822 East Powell said she appreciated the work on the ordinance and the protections it would offer "particularly in the South sector of Center City." Angie Bullock, a local real estate brokerage owner at 825 East Mulberry Street, said she supports recovery programs but warned about clustering that can be "detrimental when you're flooded with that many" such homes. Bullock said an estimated "62.5% of all of them in Evansville" are located in a small portion of the city, a point she raised in public comment.
Council members framed the ordinance as a balance between supporting recovery services and protecting neighborhoods. Councilman Trotman and Councilwoman Carruthers both said the ordinance's intent is not punitive: "we must balance that out again with our overall community needs" and the measure also helps "protect those people in the program as well" by ensuring oversight and definition in the municipal code.
A roll-call vote was recorded on the ordinance. The clerk announced a unanimous adoption: nine ayes, zero nays. The council recorded the ordinance as adopted on the evening’s roll call.
The ordinance is tied to a required change in the Unified Development Code (UDC) and stakeholder review the presenters said occurred with the Area Plan Commission and city legal staff. Council members and speakers emphasized the measure applies prospectively to new facilities seeking zoning approval.
