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A Grand Vision 2.0


WMrapids

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So I have taken inspiration from the original A Grand Vision article after seeing so many projects and proposals pop up over the past year. My SketchUp skills are not that great, but I think it would be nice to create some visuals. If any of you would like to contribute by making a model that can be applied, that'd be great since my skills aren't that great.

So I figured that what should be included are the recent proposals and other things we have thought of:

• Hinman Tower

• Meijer development

• Stadium

• Studio C development

• Streetcar

• Expanded convention center

• Market Ave. riverfront project

There's a lot more, so share what you want to see someday for Grand Rapids. It will take me a bit to get this completed, though I already started the streetcar route and garage.

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The real signature building in Grand Rapids is the McKay Tower, primarily because of the location, not because of its beauty, size or architecture. Eliminate the two buildings next to it on Monroe Centre and really make it into "The" signature building.  Something on the scale and order of the Wrigley building in Chicago, the Leveque-Lincoln building in Columbus,OH, or the Power and Light building in Kansas City, MO. Make it taller, wider, cleaner, historic, and classic, with a crown.  Just thinkin.  Oh yea, save the fronts of the two demo'd buildings and move the to Ada, EGR, Wealthy St, Wyoming, or finally Grandville. Done.

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36 minutes ago, EastownLeo said:

Any tips for sketchup and getting them in the setting?  I have used sketchup but not overlayed on google maps.

All you have to do is add a geo-location (I think it's File -> Geo-location) and then align the axes to the corner of a building if you want to align the lines you draw.

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4 hours ago, WMrapids said:

First question that I would like to ask before I try to make a (poor looking) model and that we can vote on. Where should a future stadium be constructed in Grand Rapids?

•Corner of Wealthy and Front

•Butterworth dump area

•Other

Nothing can be built on the Butterworth dump other than the solar array they have planned. 

Do not put a stadium on the riverfront. It's one of the biggest mistakes cities make. Put the stadium on the Padnos site. 

Might as well fill out the post office and MSU sites with 2 or 3 towers each, at 12 - 20 stories. 

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1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

Nothing can be built on the Butterworth dump other than the solar array they have planned. 

Do not put a stadium on the riverfront. It's one of the biggest mistakes cities make. Put the stadium on the Padnos site. 

Might as well fill out the post office and MSU sites with 2 or 3 towers each, at 12 - 20 stories. 

Do you have images of the Padnos, post office and MSU lot boundaries? I'm trying to keep this pretty accurate.

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9 minutes ago, WMrapids said:

Do you have images of the Padnos, post office and MSU lot boundaries? I'm trying to keep this pretty accurate.

Sure, do you need dimensions or no? 

Padnos.JPG

 

 

 

post office.JPG

 

 

 

MSU.JPG

 

 

16459618742_43477560fe_z.jpg

That Padnos one is wrong, they own this parcel/building too:

Padnos 2.JPG

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38 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

Sure, do you need dimensions or no? 

Padnos.JPG

 

 

 

post office.JPG

 

 

 

MSU.JPG

 

 

16459618742_43477560fe_z.jpg

That Padnos one is wrong, they own this parcel/building too:

Padnos 2.JPG

Thanks! I'm only trying to be somewhat accurate, but I want it to be something we can dream about but possibly have some day.

Is there a way I can see these so I don't have to bother you again? Also, I know they are thinking about putting a streetcar garage next to the MSU biomedical building, but their main one would be near the Rapid headquarters.

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48 minutes ago, WMrapids said:

Thanks! I'm only trying to be somewhat accurate, but I want it to be something we can dream about but possibly have some day.

Is there a way I can see these so I don't have to bother you again? Also, I know they are thinking about putting a streetcar garage next to the MSU biomedical building, but their main one would be near the Rapid headquarters.

You can pull them up yourself if you want:

http://gis.kentcountymi.gov/public/kcviewerweb/

I find it works best in firefox, FYI.

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4 minutes ago, Gorath said:

Doesn't the city want to extend Seward to all the way to Wealthy through the Padnos site?

I believe so, Lexington connection to Wealthy. I don't know how they're thinking of doing it though. 

23 minutes ago, WMrapids said:

Is there a plan of Padnos clearing out? There is more of their property to the north as well.IMG_2805.PNG

Wow, a lot more than I thought. 

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18 minutes ago, SEsideguy said:

How polluted do you think that property is GRdadof3? I see millions spent on brownfield redevelopment mostly tax dollars.

If it's Grand Valley, it's quite a bit of tax dollars anyway, right? :) 

I'd guess it's no worse than most of the parcels in and around downtown. There were probably furniture factories on that site before it was a metal scrap yard. There's an old furniture factory still standing just to the West (Tanglefoot Studios). Making and staining furniture was nasty work. 

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2 hours ago, Gorath said:

Doesn't the city want to extend Seward to all the way to Wealthy through the Padnos site?

So maybe I could include this on here and try to fit a stadium in there somehow. I tried adding a model in there from the 3D Warehouse and it could barely fit.

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10 hours ago, WMrapids said:

So maybe I could include this on here and try to fit a stadium in there somehow. I tried adding a model in there from the 3D Warehouse and it could barely fit.

If the majority of that property were going to be used for a stadium, they could end up using that old railroad ROW to extend Seward/Lexington, along the Western boundary. I would think. Instead of cutting that property right in half. 

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