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Crane City


GRDadof3

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That's alot of Cranes! But I think that's nothing compared to what the skyline will look like when all of these cranes finnally come down and all the construction is complete. Could it be that GR is reaching a critical mass which will transform our fair city from a small town into a major player when comes to US cities?

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That's alot of Cranes! But I think that's nothing compared to what the skyline will look like when all of these cranes finnally come down and all the construction is complete. Could it be that GR is reaching a critical mass which will transform our fair city from a small town into a major player when comes to US cities?

I have a feeling that this is just round one. There are a lot of major projects that really have not even kicked off. VAI Phase II, Children's Hospital, River House, Tall House, etc...

GR is definitely starting to grow up, and quickly.

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I'm so glad to see the Press is so into cranes these days too. :thumbsup:

Crane operator spends his day 240 feet above the city

d_060702_crane.jpg

(Press photo - Jon M. Brouwer)

"Far off and below, Grand Rapids is booming like never before.

In downtown alone, fully $1 billion in construction projects are under way or set to begin soon, according to city data.

If cranes are a yardstick by which to measure progress, Grand Rapids is soaring. From Symonds's seat, you can spot about two dozen of them.

"I don't think I've ever seen this many cranes here at any one time," said Crissman, who has been in the trades more than a decade."

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I'm so glad to see the Press is so into cranes these days too. :thumbsup:

Crane operator spends his day 240 feet above the city

d_060702_crane.jpg

(Press photo - Jon M. Brouwer)

"Far off and below, Grand Rapids is booming like never before.

In downtown alone, fully $1 billion in construction projects are under way or set to begin soon, according to city data.

If cranes are a yardstick by which to measure progress, Grand Rapids is soaring. From Symonds's seat, you can spot about two dozen of them.

"I don't think I've ever seen this many cranes here at any one time," said Crissman, who has been in the trades more than a decade."

I wondered when that was going to be posted although I thought with this crane crazy town, it'd get its own thread, lol

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Can you imagine what people driving by on 131 think when they see all the cranes? Especially if they are not from here!

I just hope some big time developers, CEO of world corporations, and potential residents see them and think,

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We haven't even seen all the cranes up yet that are "in the works" (Riverhouse, Devos Children's Hospital, Tall House, Gallery on Fulton). With some luck, by this time next year most of them will be up at the same time.

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I hate to be the wet blanket guy, but aren't most bigger cities in the county experiencing a downtown building boom? Maybe GR has more cranes than other cities this size, but I dont know how many jaws will hit the floor with the half dozen or so cranes we have in the air now (not including freeway construction). But I hope I'm wrong.

OK, no more pessimism.

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Well, it's one thing to bring people who have never been to Grand Rapids, let alone ever heard of it, and have them say, "cool city" and it's another for them to have their jaws drop. I think it's not uncommon for people to be heavily impressed with this city. Why? Because it's not mainstream. That's what I like about it. It's a "best kept secrete" kind of city that could use more exposure and tourism, but when it finally does arrive in the USA limelight, I think a lot of people will start to say, "where did that impressive city come from"? "I thought all Michigan was was crappy Detroit and a boring interior."

Even cities Grand Rapids' size get more attention. That's ok by me. The same is true for Detroit. Michigan is often times overlooked on so many levels, that what we are doing in our cities and what we have the potential to do is really starting to encourage a lot of people.

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I hate to be the wet blanket guy, but aren't most bigger cities in the county experiencing a downtown building boom? Maybe GR has more cranes than other cities this size, but I dont know how many jaws will hit the floor with the half dozen or so cranes we have in the air now (not including freeway construction). But I hope I'm wrong.

With about $1 billion in current construction, and almost another on the way this next year, GR would make most other cities 2x it's size jealous. Name me another US city with nearly $2 billion in confirmed development over the next two years other than Chicago, NY, LA, and Miami. Earlier this year, the Press wrote an article about Denver and its 'amazing' $500 million downtown boom - all the time ignorning GR's current boom. $1.5 billion+ is huge, then add the $750 million spent downtown pre-2005.

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