Work to make crosswalk areas handicapped accessible in select areas of Palmerton should begin within the next few weeks.

Borough Councilwoman Holly Sell informed council on Thursday that residents will likely experience a "temporary inconvenience" in about two weeks.At that time, Sell said the state Department of Transportation will work on the crosswalks from First to Seventh Street, except for Third and Fourth Streets, which have already been completed.Development planAlso on Thursday, council agreed to grant conditional approval of the land development plan at 487 Lehigh Ave.The plan calls for the conversion of the former Heimbach's Bar into a four-unit apartment building.As part of their approval, council said the plan must meet the borough engineer's approval for stormwater, and a developer's agreement must be set up.Also as part of their motion, council agreed to grant a waiver request.Last month, the borough's planning commission recommended conditional rejection of the plan due to stormwater issues.In April 2014, the borough's zoning hearing board unanimously agreed to grant Garrett Kistler variances and special exceptions for the property.Kistler wants to convert it into two one-bedroom and two two-bedroom apartment units. There would be two one-bedroom apartment units, one of which would be about 670 square feet, and the other, about 750 square feet, he said, while there would also be two two-bedroom apartment units, both of which would be about 850 square feet.The property has been abandoned for years.