Albion Fellows Bacon Center pursuing expansion; seeks rezoning, variance

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Albion Fellows Bacon Center is preparing for an expansion that officials hope meets its needs for years to come.

The nonprofit serves people in 11 Southern Indiana counties impacted by sexual and domestic violence. It is the only rape crisis center in the area, and it provides free and confidential access to legal and crisis advocacy, prevention education and shelter.

Albion’s Evansville location can house 36 people. The expansion will add three shelter rooms, increasing capacity to 48, as well as two more bathrooms.

The project also will bring all of Albion’s services together at one site.

“We’ll be able to bring everything to a more secure, private location,” said Kristie Byrns, executive director.

Albion has raised about $1 million of the $1.5 million expansion project, but the agency still has some government approvals to receive.

One of them came Thursday when the Area Plan Commission voted 9-0 to support a rezoning of land being used for the expansion. Albion is asking the land change from residential use to a type of commercial use applicable for shelters.

The City Council still must approve the rezoning.

Albion also must get approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals for a code variance related to parking.

Evansville’s decades-old zoning codes, which are in the process of a rewrite, require this of group homes or community residential facilities: One parking space for every three residents, plus one space for each staff member of the largest working shift.

Albion now has 13 spaces on site, and the agency is seeking a variance to relax the required parking spaces from 36 to 22.

“We have had some demolition, but construction has not started because of what we had to have through planning and zoning,” Byrns said. “We’ve got to clear that hurdle.”

Albion hopes to complete the project by late 2020 or early 2021. The agency’s services are in demand.

“We have seen quite a bit of max capacity,” Byrns said. “We know there is certainly a need, and we are trying to provide the services.”

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