Palmerton has approved modifications to a zoning ordinance regarding warehouse regulations and signs.

Borough Manager Donna McGarry said that while she didn’t want to say the regulations are solely directed at Northface, whose plans call for four warehouses, they are meant to serve a purpose.

Resident Terry Derhammer said, “My concern is when they do build those warehouses, they’ve not been very good neighbors to the borough or the community.”

Derhammer added that they’ve dealt with the noise, and asked if the borough could put up some sort of barrier wall for when the warehouses come in.

“I can’t guarantee it’s going to be silent there for you,” McGarry said. “These regulations were the best we could find to see what we could do to help the residents.”

Earlier this month, council on a 6-0 vote shot down a temporary tax abatement request to attract businesses.

Northface plans to build four roughly 500,000-square-foot warehouses, one each year starting in 2022, on the property located just off Route 248.

The borough was one of three local taxing bodies - along with Palmerton Area School District and Carbon County - needed to support Northface.

The ordinance includes:

• Each building must have amenities for the truck drivers/operators of the vehicle using the facility and employees, including a suitable lounge for drivers/operators, with restroom facilities, including at least three sinks, stalls, and dispensing machines or other facilities to provide food and beverage.

• Parking in a suitable, safe and separately defined location, and at least one 12-by-8-foot truck parking space be provided for each required lounge seat of the amenity.

• Trucks parked in amenity parking spaces must not leave engines idling unless required for safety or weather-related reasons, and electrical outlets are to be included in parking areas for trucks to utilize.

• All trucks awaiting access to a loading/unloading dock/doorway must park in the designed amenity parking spaces unless all such spaces are already occupied.

• If guard shacks or checkpoints are needed, they should be within boundaries to prevent stacking of tractor-trailers on or along public streets.

• Tractor-trailer parking spaces for outbound trucks required to layover or rest due to hours-of-service regulations.

• Truck drivers are to be instructed regarding acceptable routes between the facility and the nearest expressway with respect to the class of vehicle accessing the facility.

• No storage of garbage (other than is routinely produced on site and awaiting regular collection) is permitted.

• All tractor-trailer truck parking, outdoor storage and/or loading/unloading areas that are visible from beyond the exterior lot lines of the use must be screened by a 50-foot buffer yard, which could include dense evergreens or trees.

• Tractor-trailer truck parking, outdoor storage and/or loading/unloading areas visible from and are within 250 feet of the exterior lot lines must be separated by an earthen berm. The berm must average a minimum of 10 feet in height; vary in height by 1 foot or 2 feet in places; have a maximum side slope of three horizontal to one vertical; and be covered by a well-maintained, all season, natural ground cover, such as grass.

• Loading dock openings must not face a residential district.