A Palmerton business owner is still upset with the borough zoning officer’s recent decision to allow overflow parking for St. Luke’s clients.

Chip Solt, owner of Joey B’s, told borough council on Thursday that the lack of parking during the day was a contributing factor in his decision to end lunch service at his restaurant at 638 Delaware Ave.

“St. Luke’s has created a parking problem,” Solt said. “This has caused me severe heartache; we’ve had to close for lunch.”

Solt said that his restaurant has been there for 34 years, and he was looking to council to “rectify” the situation.

“There was never a parking problem (before St. Luke’s),” he said. “The parking problem began two-and-a-half years ago.”

Loren LaRose, an employee of The Yurconic Agency, 612 Delaware Ave., said there has been a business at that site since 1977. Previously, it was George I. LaRose Insurance.

“I can’t tell you how many complaints we’ve had,” LaRose said, adding that clients say they can’t find a place to park. “The problem started when construction began (over two years ago) on the building, and it continues today.”

LaRose added they have “nothing against St. Luke’s.”

“They provide a good service,” he said. “Are they being a good neighbor, yes (except when it comes to parking).”

Councilman Cory Kepner said he understood their concerns.

“I definitely can understand everyone’s frustrations,” Kepner said. “It’s affecting residents, it’s affecting businesses.”

Solt said the problem is that St. Luke’s doesn’t have a big enough area to satisfy their parking needs.

Councilman Andrew Hollywood said he believes the issue could possibly be resolved with four-hour parking.

Solt said it’s made life difficult for residents who live and work near the St. Luke’s Health Center at 614 Delaware Ave.

“It’s their parking problem, not our parking problem,” he said.

Council President Terry Costenbader said he sees two issues: Parking on the street and zoning.

Costenbader said Solt and others who attended the zoning hearing board meeting earlier this month weren’t given a fair shake.

“They were told they would be given a chance to testify (at the zoning hearing board),” Costenbader said. “And they did not have a chance to speak (or testify).”

Councilman Kris Hoffner assured their concerns wouldn’t fall on deaf ears.

“This council cares about what you’re saying,” Hoffner said.

Solt said that while his business takes up its share of parking, he doesn’t believe the zoning hearing board’s decision earlier this month was fair to any of the business owners along that stretch.

Earlier this month, the zoning hearing board granted St. Luke’s appeal of a violation notice issued by the borough zoning officer earlier this year.

St. Luke’s parking lot doesn’t have the number of spaces required under the borough’s zoning ordinance, but the health network’s lawyers argued at that time that the lack of parking is grandfathered because they replaced two businesses with similar parking issues.

The borough said that the 36 parking spaces on site weren’t enough to serve the doctors, staff and patients who use the facility. The borough’s ordinances require the site to have 50 parking spaces.

St. Luke’s made the case that the two businesses it replaced - a bowling alley and a car lot - didn’t meet the requirements. Therefore, the medical offices’ lack of parking is legally allowed.

The borough zoning ordinance says, “If an existing lawful use includes less parking than would be required, then that deficit of parking shall be grandfathered for new uses.”

The health network says it cannot add more parking spaces to its property, which has other existing businesses on both sides.

Neighbors say that since St. Luke’s opened in 2020, and expanded last year, parking in the area has been more difficult to find.

St. Luke’s also presented a parking study which looked at the number of cars in the lot the day before the hearing. Solt questioned the accuracy because he said other businesses in the neighborhood including Joey B’s were closed that day.

Traffic Engineer John Wichner of McMahon Associates, who conducted the study, said the number of cars in the parking lot maxed out at 26 cars, and only four spaces on Delaware Avenue were occupied.