YOU’VE SEEN the stories, often embellished with artists’ renderings and great expectations. Big plans, big bucks, a big project coming to your town soon. As you’ve no doubt noticed that sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn’t. We looked back over the past few years and tracked the progress of 32 such projects in our area. Some are on track, some are waylaid by the economic downturn, and some may never see the light of day. The artists’ renderings were pretty, though.

Cal Ripken baseball

The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation will build a baseball-fields complex in Fredericksburg, near the Bragg Hill neighborhood. This would complement the various other programs the foundation is already sponsoring in area schools and youth-serving organizations. The group will conduct a fundraising campaign this year to build the fields, which could cost about $2 million.

Celebrate Virginia Gondola

The plan: The Silver Cos. proposes building a gondola to shuttle tourists from one side of the Rappahannock River to the other. It would link its Celebrate Virginia North project, which includes Cannon Ridge Golf Club, with Celebrate Virginia South, the site of the proposed Kalahari Resorts water park as well as the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center, various hotels and other attractions.

Status: The holdup has been finding someone to operate the gondola, said Jud Honaker, the Silver Cos.’ president of commercial development. He has had preliminary discussions with Kalahari Resorts about running it.

CITY COURTHOUSE

Fredericksburg recently agreed to work with Keating Development Corp. to explore the possibility of putting a new courts complex on the site the post office now occupies on Princess Anne Street. The city still has to decide whether to build the roughly $60 million project in phases or all at once. Officials have set a goal of opening the new courts by the end of 2010.

COBBLESTONE SQUARE

The plan: Local developers Hunter Greenlaw and Andy Garrett planned to start construction by the end of 2002 on the first phase of a development that would include 398 apartments, offices, retail space, a 10-acre public park adjacent to Hazel Run and a paved trail toward downtown.

Status: Two apartment buildings have been completed, and a bridge into the project awaits inspection by the city.

CROW’S NEST