At a packed meeting Tuesday night, the Covington City Council voted 6-1 to allow a Covington hospital to build 5-story parking garage that has been the subject of complaints by the neighborhood's residents for months .

Former Covington Mayors Keith Villere and Candace Watkins and other residents have voiced concerns about the location of St. Tammany Health System's planned garage at the busy intersection of 11th Avenue and Tyler Street. The garage would have over 400 parking spots, medical offices, a helipad and a skybridge connecting to the hospital.

The hospital has said the garage was the result of years of study and that it would reduce helicopter transfer time and improve parking safety after two traffic accidents involving hospital staff in recent years. The hospital has said the

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