LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Explore Park zoning on table

Roanoke County planners will examine changes to specific uses for the facility.

· Full story
· Audio: Listen to interview with developer Larry Vander Maten
· Read more stories

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Talk:
What's your advice for development of the Roanoke County living history museum?

· Share your thoughts on the new roanoke.com message board

Resources:
· Layout map of the park
· Timeline of the many faces of Explore park
· Web site of Virginia's Explore Park

Proposed contract:
Ground lease between Virginia Living Histories, Inc., and Virginia Recreational Facilities Authoritys.
· Read the contract

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By the way

New lease on life
The unanimously approved lease was called the most one-sided contract he'd ever seen and the best chance he'd seen for Explore to survive - by the same person.

Vision for park all in his head
What does Larry Vander Maten see in Explore Park's future? Who knows. Listen to interview with Vander Maten

Lots of questions, few answers in community meeting
Opinions ranged from enthusiastic support to cautious hopefulness to resolute opposition.

Board to vote on Explore Park's future tonight
One member of the Virginia Recreational Facilities Authority didn't even know the vote was scheduled.

'Idealized vision' led to VRFA's founding
When Explore Park was just a gleam in a Roanoke leader's eye 20 years ago, some of the Roanoke Valley's top businessmen united.

Questions, what-ifs on Explore Park abound
The state doesn't have much comment on a proposal to lease the park to a Missouri nonprofit company.