Private Developers in the Mid-Atlantic Made a Major Comeback in 2014

City Scoop: Philadelphia — Liberty Property Trust broke ground on the $1.2-billion Comcast Innovation & Technology Center, which will become the tallest structure in Philadelphia.

Image courtesy of Comcast

The casino market was also active with the August 2014 start of the $925-million National Harbor MGM Casino Resort project in Clinton, Md., and a $164-million expansion of the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, which broke ground in December.

Gas-Fired Growth

Energy sector projects continued to drive a significant amount of work in the region, especially facilities related to natural gas extraction from the Marcellus shale formation. Dominion Resources leads this year's list with its $3.8-billion Dominion Cove Point LNG project in Lusby, Md. A joint venture of IHI E&C International Corp. and Kiewit Energy Co. broke ground on the liquefaction and export facility in October. Dominion estimates the project could create more than 3,000 construction jobs during its three-year construction schedule.

In November, Panda Power Funds started work on its $800-million Panda Stonewall Natural Gas Power Plant near Leesburg, Va. It is the company's third major project in the region in a 15-month span.

In August 2013, it broke ground on the Panda Liberty Generation Plant in Bradford County, Pa., and the Panda Patriot Generation Plant in Lycoming County, Pa.

Competitive Power Ventures started construction of a $775-million gas-fired plant in Waldorf, Md. SNC Lavalin Constructors is building the facility, dubbed the St. Charles Energy Center, with completion expected in June 2017.

Troy Construction is building the $261.9-million Virginia Southside Expansion of the Williams Transco pipeline near South Hill, Va. The project got underway in September 2014 and is scheduled to be complete in September 2015.