A new Dairy Queen restaurant near the Walmart Supercenter was approved Tuesday by the Greeneville Regional Planning Commission.

Dairy Queen, which specializes in frozen treats, will be the second new fast-food restaurant planned to open in that area of East Andrew Johnson Highway.

A Pal's Sudden Service drive-thru restaurant was approved by the planning commission in March and is under construction in the 3300 block, with a projected opening date in late June.

Construction of the Dairy Queen is to begin about June 1, with a projected opening in the fall, according to Cathy Walden of W&W Engineering.

The restaurant will be located in the 3700 block, next to what will be a new branch of Heritage Community Bank, across East Andrew Johnson Highway from Walmart, Walden said.

The building will be 2,100 square-feet, according to a site plan that received final approval from the commission.

Access will be from Harlan Street, off Andrew Johnson Highway, with a service street that will connect the bank, restaurant and any future business that locates in that area, according to Jim Snyder, Greeneville building official.

He said he expects an additional access road to be created from Andrew Johnson Highway as the area develops, likely at the crossover to Morgan Pointe Shopping Center.

In other business, the Greeneville Regional Planning Commission gave final approval for a new office building for the Blackburn, Childers & Steagall accounting firm at 550 Tusculum Blvd.

The new 2,500-square-foot building will be located on the former site of Papa John's and Poor Boy's restaurants, where a building was demolished in November 2008.

Snyder said the site will have two distinct driveways from Tusculum Boulevard with landscaping, a needed improvement for that area.

The planning commission approved concept plans for an addition to Notre Dame Catholic Church on Mt. Bethel Road.

The 13,000-square-foot, one-level addition will house classrooms and a parish hall, according to Colleen Riordan, of Johnson Architecture in Knoxville.

Riordan said additional stormwater detention will be required for the project and will be included in final plans to be considered by the commission.

A public hearing also was held Tuesday for comments on the town ordinance for its stormwater control program.

Town Engineer Brad Peters explained that the state mandates an annual public hearing as part of the goals for the 25 "best management practices" of the program.

Peters thanked the Middle Nolichucky Watershed Alliance and the Greene County Soil Conservation District for working with the town to prepare details of the stormwater control program.

"Without them, we couldn't meet our goals," Peters said.

Paul Hayden, of the Soil Conservation District, and Mark Benko, of the Watershed Alliance, both commented briefly. No action was taken.

The commission voted to recommend changes to the town's floodplain ordinance.

State Planner Ronda Sawyer said the changes by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will add Greeneville's recently annexed areas and the parcels located outside the town but within Greeneville's planning region.

"They have changed some of the wording slightly to make it a little clearer," Sawyer added.

The changes will require approval by the Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Commissioner Charles Hutchins voted against the recommendation, stating that he wanted to see a copy of the changes before the meeting.

The commission voted to recommend the adoption of a new ordinance on the location of methadone treatment clinics.

The ordinance states that a methadone clinic cannot be located within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare facility, park, church, synagogue, mosque, mortuary or hospital.

A clinic also cannot be located within 1,000 feet of any establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, according to the ordinance.

A clinic also cannot be located within 1,000 feet of any area devoted to public recreation, any amusement catering to family entertainment or any residential dwelling, according to the ordinance.

The ordinance requires adoption by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

In her staff report, Sawyer said she has a final draft of the city's 20-year Comprehensive Plan.

She said she plans to give copies of the draft to commissioners so it can be considered for adoption at the June meeting.

When the planning commission adjourned, it reconvened as the Greeneville Board of Zoning Appeals and approved a variance to the sign ordnance.

Bradley's Video Production had requested to move its existing business sign from 1141 Tusculum Boulevard to a new location at 1234 Tusculum Boulevard.

Snyder said the business will be operating at the Bradley residence, which is located in a residential zone.

The sign ordinance states that commercial signs in residential zones cannot exceed four square feet or a height of three feet, Snyder said.

The existing Bradley's sign is 3-by-5 feet, a total variance of 11 square-feet.

Snyder recommended that the sign be located on the ground in a monument style.

Board member Paul McAfee recommended the addition of landscaping around the sign.

Board member Pete Hayes abstained, saying that he did not see a compelling reason for varying the sign ordinance.

Snyder said the board's only other option for allowing the sign would be to rezone the property for business use, which would take 60 to 90 days to complete.