Granby welcomes: a more constructive story; Land annex sparks developments 2 years after bulldozer rampage.

• Author: Lewis, David
• Position: Granby, Colorado

News junkies will always pair the words "Granby, Colo." and "bulldozer rampage" because those were the words in the headlines produced by one of the most bizarre events in the town's 101-year history.

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On Friday, June 4, 2004, Marv Heemeyer drove an armored 60-ton Komatsu bulldozer through much of downtown Granby, hurting no one but damaging or destroying 13 structures.

Heemeyer, who was upset about a zoning disagreement, killed himself after his bulldozer became stuck in the basement of the Gambles department store. The site remains a hole in the ground, but a smaller, more specialized Gambles has reopened across town.

The news story about Granby was a global sensation for a day or two, and then most of the world went back to ignoring the Northern Colorado town west of Rocky Mountain National Park. Thus the world has missed the town's other big story: In the past three or so years Granby has quadrupled its land area through annexations for three major developments now in various stages: Granby Ranch, Grand Elk Ranch & Club and Orvis Shorefox.

Developers say Middle Park--all the way from Winter Park through Granby and Grand Lake--aims to be the next Eagle-Vail, only nicer.

"Granby eight years ago was looking like it was going to dry up and blow away," says Mayor Ted Wang, who was then a town councilman. "We were facing a real financial crisis.

"Now, of course, we're witnessing huge development, Wang laughs. "I refer to it now as our time." It's like what Eagle-Vail, Summit County and other places in Colorado have gone through. And now the big boom is here."

Meantime, Granby has done its best to put Heemeyer behind it.

"For the most part that is being put into the past," says Patrick Brower, editor-publisher of Grand County Newspapers, including Granby's Sky-Hi News. "I wouldn't say people have healed from it, because that's going to take a long time."

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Almost all the structures smashed in the bulldozer attack have been restored or replaced, some in much-improved fashion. First to come back was Liberty Savings Bank, followed by buildings including Mountain Parks Electric, Maple Street Builders and Sky-Hi News. Insurance paid $485,000 to replace the News building at 424 E. Agate Ave., out of a total of $550,000; the higher amount included upgraded press space and other improvements.

Granby's only major replacement building still under construction is the $3.5 million Granby Town Hall. Mayor Wang...