NGA considering six sites in St. Louis area for new facility

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency last week released six sites under consideration for the location of a new agency facility in the St. Louis, MO, area.

The agency anticipates moving from its current location at 3200 South 2nd Street and Arsenal Street in 2021.

A series of planning studies, including an economic analysis, determined that it will be less costly, quicker and less disruptive to build a new facility than to modernize current facilities. Many of the structures at the current site date back to the mid-1800s and would require extensive work to be compatible with current and evolving technology and address ongoing maintenance issues.

NGA contracted with Jones, Lang, LaSalle (JLL) to perform a year-long site location study, which included a detailed search of possible locations and recommendations of specific sites for further consideration by the agency. The study concluded in 2013. JLL is a financial and professional services firm that specializes in commercial real estate services and investment management.

The sites listed in alphabetical order are:

• Fenton, at the old Chrysler plant, along I-44, southwest of St. Louis;
• Mehlville, at the Met Life facility, on Tesson Ferry Road between I-270 and Route 141, south of St. Louis;
• Northpark, near I-70 and Hanley Road and Lambert airport, north of St. Louis;
• North St. Louis City, near the intersections of Cass and Jefferson avenues;
• St. Clair County, along I-64, east of St. Louis in Illinois adjacent to Scott Air Force Base;
• Weldon Spring, along I-64 near Chesterfield, Missouri, northwest of St. Louis.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will manage the next phase of the process for NGA’s St. Louis modernization plans. USACE will coordinate with the owners of the six sites identified by the study.

USACE will also publish a 30-day call for additional property submissions. To ensure all possible sites have been considered, an advertisement will be listed in local newspapers for 30 days to allow owners or real estate representatives the opportunity to respond. At the end of that process, NGA will make a final decision to determine which sites will undergo the comprehensive assessment required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

The NEPA study will evaluate impacts of a new facility and identify steps to address any potential negative impacts. The NEPA evaluation is projected to begin this fall and will take approximately 18 to 24 months to complete.

NGA provides timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of defense and national security. Many of those missions, such as Global Positioning System support, aeronautical safety of navigation and precision targeting support, are accomplished from NGA’s facilities in St. Louis.