ST. LOUIS (AP) _ A St. Louis developer is moving ahead with plans for a residential housing project in an area around the planned $1.75 billion National Geospatial Intelligence Agency site in north St. Louis.

Paul McKee on Tuesday said he’s moving forward with the 500-unit residential housing plan. McKee has been acquiring large swaths of land in north St. Louis for decades. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports initial construction will begin in 2017 and be completed in 2018.

The NGA, a defense department mapping agency, announced official plans recently to move more than 3,100 jobs to the north St. Louis area by 2022 or 2023. The NGA project is expected to include more than 3,000 high-tech jobs with average salaries of more than $80,000, along with prospects of further economic development.