Cement maker plans to expand operations in South Norfolk

CHESAPEAKE

Cement and building materials producer Titan America LLC plans to expand its cement terminal along the Elizabeth River's Southern Branch onto an adjacent parcel of about 7 acres, company officials said.

Titan has not yet determined how much it would invest in the new facility or the number of jobs it might create, said Kate McClain, a spokeswoman for Norfolk-based Titan America.

The company has not decided how to use the entire tract, in Chesapeake's South Norfolk neighborhood, McClain said. It may handle other "cement-related" products there, she said.

Cement is a powder that is the main ingredient in concrete.

The project includes expanding the facility for unloading ships filled with imported cement and laying more rail track to accommodate trains from Titan's cement plant in Roanoke, said Russell A. Fink, Titan's vice president and general counsel.

Once the cement arrives in Chesapeake, Titan trucks it to its Hampton Roads concrete plants or sells it to other companies.

Titan plans to exercise its option to buy the land, the site of a former fertilizer plant owned by Chesapeake Products Inc., and start construction within the next year, Fink said.

Chesapeake Products first must clean up the site, which is contaminated with lead and other metals. The company has signed an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to do that, Fink said.

Because the land is already zoned for heavy industrial use, no zoning change will be required, McClain said.

The expansion site is next to the proposed Belharbour Station at SoNo development, a planned $200 million project with residences, offices and stores.

Titan has operated its 4.5-acre cement terminal on Priority Lane in Chesapeake since 1992.

Titan America is part of

Titan Cement Company S.A., a construction material supplier based in Athens, Greece.

Gregory Richards, (757) 446-2599, gregory.richards@pilotonline.com