Palmerton Council is supporting a request for Northface to have access points from both ends of the property that borders Route 248 and Mauch Chunk Road.

Borough council on a 4-2 vote Thursday authorized that a letter of support be sent regarding Northface Development’s application to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for two point of accesses to the property.

The access from the property’s eastern and western ends of the property, would be one two-lane road and one lane with a stop sign at the intersection.

In its letter to PennDOT, the borough said it concurs that the access points are “both useful and necessary.”

The borough’s acceptance of the roads would be subject to a maintenance agreement with Northface Development, the letter said.

Councilmen Kris Hoffner, Andrew Hollywood, William Gallagher, along with council President Terry Costenbader were in favor. Councilwomen Holly Hausman-Sell and Cory Kepner were opposed. Councilman Richard Nothstein was absent.

“My no (vote) is because I do not have faith in Northface,” Hausman-Sell said.

Hausman-Sell has been critical of Northface in the past, previously stating that she doesn’t believe they have been a great partner to the people of Mauch Chunk Road.

Last April, Phase III Environmental LLC received $2.4 million to build a right-in/right-out intersection along Route 248 and a lighted intersection along Delaware Avenue at the future Palmerton Business Park.

The project also received $100,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for road improvements at the future Palmerton Business Park. The project will establish a direct entrance from Route 248 to the business park and connection to Northface Road.

Northface Road will also provide publicly accessible connections between 248, Delaware Avenue and Mauch Chunk Road.

The project calls for a traffic light at the intersection of Delaware Avenue and Industrial Drive. The Palmerton Business Park is a remediated site that is anticipated to support more than 3,000 jobs once completed.

In April 2021, council approved modifications to a zoning ordinance regarding warehouse regulations and signs.

Borough Manager Donna McGarry said at that time 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.

Earlier that 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 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.

Northface Development purchased the 140-acre property along Route 248 and Mauch Chunk Road from bankruptcy proceedings for less than $1 million.

The site was once home to the New Jersey Zinc Company’s West Plant, and sat vacant and abandoned until 2010, when Northface purchased it.