Covington council upholds hospital parking garage permit with traffic conditions

The Covington City Council voted 5-2 on March 11 to uphold a zoning commission's conditional-use approval for a five-story parking garage and rooftop heli-stop proposed by Saint Tammany Health System, adding conditions that the hospital fund a westbound right-turn lane on West Eleventh Avenue, pay for signal modifications at the Tyler/Eleventh intersection as needed, and install directional signage near Polk Street and Eleventh Avenue.

The measure, challenged in an appeal from neighborhood residents, keeps the zoning commission's action in place while attaching the council's specified infrastructure conditions. The vote came after more than two hours of public testimony from hospital officials, medical staff, nearby residents and planning professionals.

Hospital attorney Jeff Shane described the project as a five-story, roughly 200,000-square-foot garage with more than 400 spaces, an approximately 8,300-square-foot medical office suite facing Tyler Street, a heli-stop on the fifth level and a skybridge connecting the garage to the hospital's north tower. "By providing this preferred landing location for our helicopters we will have a more direct access—we'll have elevated doors that open corridors that will be ready, and we'll be able to bring critical care patients immediately to radiology, emergency room, operating room," Shane said.

Joan Kaufman, president and CEO of Saint Tammany Health System, told the council the system has grown with the parish and said the garage and heli-stop would improve rapid access for critically ill patients. "When our founding members handed over the keys to the hospital, they made a promise: St. Tammany Health System will never turn away anyone in need of care," Kaufman said.

Residents and neighborhood speakers argued the site and process were wrong. Appellant Candace Watkins, a former Covington mayor and planning director, told the council she believed the planning and zoning hearing lacked required information and that commissioners were not presented with required screening, elevation and compatibility details. "Conditional uses require particular considerations as to their proper location to adjacent established or intended uses," Watkins said, quoting the zoning code during her remarks.

Cardiologist Paul Stalls, who spoke in favor of the garage, said moving the heli-stop closer to the emergency department would reduce transit time for critically ill patients. "When you think about trauma, stroke, cardiac emergencies—minutes matter," he said.

The council's approval was made as a motion to uphold the conditional-use permit with the three infrastructure conditions described at the hearing; the motion passed on a roll call that recorded: Councilman Lewis, yes; Councilman Stanga, no; Councilman Roberts, yes; Councilman Inman, no; Councilman Burrell, yes; Councilman Botsford, yes; Councilman Burrett, yes. The motion did not list a specific compliance deadline; council members said the hospital will obtain any required DOTD permits and carry out the improvements at its expense.

The appeal before the council challenged only the conditional-use permit; the council and city attorney noted the site-plan approval is not appealable to the council under the city's code. Several residents requested that the council remand the matter to the zoning commission for additional conditions or study; the council's legal interpretation was that remand was not an available option under the ordinance.

Council members and hospital representatives said they expected coordination with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development on access permits for the turn lane and signal work. Hospital attorneys also said the system will manage how garage spaces are allocated to reduce peak-hour conflicts among employees, patients and visitors.

The decision will allow construction to proceed toward final permitting, subject to the infrastructure items agreed at the meeting.