The Saint Tammany Parish Board of Adjustment voted Dec. 2 to allow the removal of three live oak trees for a proposed service expansion at 68500 U.S. Highway 190 Service Road in Covington.

Staff and the applicant said the trees sit within the footprint of planned vehicle storage and a new building, and that a roughly 3–4 foot grade differential made salvaging the trees infeasible. Applicant representative Jason Rebert said the trees could not reasonably be preserved and proposed mitigation: plant more than 50 percent of the affected caliper inches on‑site, install 18 live oaks, and pay the balance into the St. Tammany Parish Tree Bank.

Staff recommended approval with conditions that the required number of live oaks be planted, the tree‑bank payment be made, and that the live oaks be installed in suitable planting soil. Board member Mister Swindell said he supported the variance because “once you start filling on top of oak tree roots, the thing’s gonna die,” and urged the applicant to ensure replacement trees survive.

The board moved and approved the staff‑conditioned variance; the applicant must submit a mitigation/landscape plan and proof of payment to the tree bank before final sign‑off.