HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The official start of work on the $1 billion Redstone Gateway office park will be celebrated today with an invitation-only groundbreaking ceremony under a tent at the Gate 9/Rideout Road entrance to

.

That's where developers will begin construction on what is expected to eventually be more than 50 buildings and approximately 4.4 million square feet of office space - more than a million of which will be secure, and all of which officials say is badly needed to support the Army and defense commands and contractors coming here with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decision, as well as NASA, FBI and dozens of other federal programs on the growing arsenal.

Redstone Gateway will also include about 124,000 square feet of convenience retail, restaurants, hotels and more to accommodate the development's workers and visitors.

The first buildings are expected to open in the fall of 2011, which is also the deadline for completion of the BRAC job moves.

Redstone Gateway is located on about 470 acres of land the Army allowed the City of Huntsville to annex - thus becoming subject to property taxes - as part of a complex arrangement with the government entities and their hand-picked developer, LW Redstone.

LW Redstone is a partnership between Maryland-based

, a major developer of office space for the federal government, and

of Montgomery, best known for the upscale

Riverchase Galleria in Hoover.

Under the deal, the city is borrowing from LW Redstone to pay for needed sewer, road and other infrastructure improvements at the site, and will repay the company using property taxes generated by the Redstone Gateway buildings. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said that means LW Redstone assumes most of the risk if for some reason the project doesn't come to fruition.