Hermitage commissioners have approved a zoning change that could pave the way for a Bob Evans Restaurant to be built in town.

While the change was proposed in the 2001 Route 18 North Corridor Study, the timing couldn't be better for fans of the restaurant.

"They've been calling, wanting to know what's going on," Marcia A. Hirschmann, the city's director of planning and development, said of the restaurant chain.

Commissioners changed the front-yard setback in the central and highway commercial and institutional zones from 50 to 90 feet from the center line of the road to 10 feet.

Bob Evans was denied a zoning variance to build 25 feet from the center line instead of 50 in Hermitage Square Plaza

The ordinance clears up discrepancies over where sidewalks and front green area would be located.

Developers must provide a 25-foot-wide green area containing sidewalk, landscaping, lawn and utilities. The greenway would start at the curb or edge of the road.