On Monday, two city boards approved a beer license for a new restaurant and the subdividing of a tract of land for development.

The East Ridge Beer Board approved a license for Melody Clark to sell beer at her new restaurant, Melodee’s Diner, on Ringgold Road. Clark, who has been in the restaurant business in East Ridge before, is opening the 3,200-square foot restaurant in the building at 3904 Ringgold Rd. that was once Family Table.

Clark told the board that she expects to open the 75 seat family-style, meat-and-three restaurant at the end of January or the first of February.

She said she wished to serve beer but didn’t want to promote a “bar atmosphere.”

The beer board also renewed the existing permits for 32 businesses in East Ridge. It was noted that five establishments that have permits have not renewed their licence. Those businesses have until the end of January to renew.

The East Ridge Planning Commission met briefly following the beer board. The planning commission voted to keep newly-elected City Councilman Mike Chauncey as its chairman. It was the first meeting of planning commissioner J. Scott Miller, who served as city manager for more than two years before his recent retirement.

The planning commission voted unanimously to approve the “preliminary/final” plat to subdivide 1.73 acres at 1322 Orlando Ave. into five separate lots. Officials said that owner Jimmy Anderson wants to build five houses on the lots. It was noted that all the lots met the 10,000 square-foot minimum area for construction. Two of the lots, building official Mike Howell said, are “flag lots,” meaning they do not have road frontage but separate accesses from the road.