JEFFERSON CITY — Showing the continued support of the state of Missouri for locating the new headquarters of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) West in the City of St. Louis, State Senator Joe Keaveny, D-St. Louis, sponsored Senate Concurrent Resolution 58, which passed the General Assembly with wide bi-partisan support yesterday, March 2. The House vote was 147-6, while the Senate vote in early February was 29-1.
“It is widely agreed that the site in north St. Louis is the best location to meet the needs and mission of the NGA,” said Sen. Keaveny. “Its proximity to necessary facilities, including the airport and existing NGA sites, and to the current NGA workforce – 70 percent of whom live in Missouri – make north St. Louis the best choice for the new headquarters.
Although four sites are being considered, elected leaders agreed to, and have put all their support behind, the north St. Louis site. St. Charles City and the St. Louis County Council, along with St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, have all publicly expressed their support for the north St. Louis location.
“This is the preferred location for the NGA as we seek to rebuild north St. Louis through jobs, safety and more economic development opportunities,” added Keaveny.
Due to aging buildings, limited room for expansion and increasing security concerns, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency West Campus Headquarters (NGA West), now located in the southern area of St. Louis, is currently considering a site in the region for a new facility.
The NGA is the nation’s primary source of geospatial intelligence for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Intelligence Community. It provides support to U.S. national security and defense as well as disaster relief. It will provide 3,100 jobs with an average salary of $83,000 a year, and annual earnings tax revenue for the city of an estimated $2.4 million per year. During construction, there are expected to be as many as 5,200 construction jobs available. The short-term and long-term economic development potential of this project will leave a positive impact for years and generations to come.
For nearly a year, the Next NGA West project team has been studying the potential social, economic and environmental impacts of a proposed NGA location at each of the four proposed sites.
For more information, visit Sen. Keaveny’s official Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/keaveny.