The St Tammany Parish Council says on September 18, Judge Burris of the 22nd Judicial District Court ruled against Military Road Revitalization Company, LLC in the case of Military Road Revitalization Company (MRRC), LLC v. St. Tammany Parish Government regarding the halt of the Covington Trace Ridge Apartments development based on a moratorium ordinance passed by the Parish Council.
MRRC filed numerous motions against the Parish asking the court to invalidate its moratorium on multifamily developments.
The hearing was limited to the request for injunctive relief. After argument and testimony, the Judge ruled in favor of St. Tammany Parish Government. This means the developer will have to continue to halt the development of the Covington Trace Ridge Apartments, in accordance with the multi-family moratorium ordinance passed in Districts 1 and 2 by the Parish Council at its June 1st meeting.
The moratorium, which was initiated on April 4, 2023 and introduced at the May meeting, was put in place due to concerns with multifamily developments being built in areas already overburdened by traffic and drainage issues. The moratorium was amended at a Special Meeting on May 18th when it became apparent that there were numerous highway commercial zoned properties in this area which may allow for apartments to be developed.
After adoption in June, the developer filed suit.
