On July 24, 2001 Roanoke County made a five-year financial commitment to the park when the State of Virginia eliminated the park's annual appropriation, starting in 2002. Four years later, in June 2005, Virginia Living Histories (VLH) approached VRFA with a plan to develop Explore Park into a major tourist destination. VLH was headed by Larry Vander Maten, a Florida-based developer. Vander Maten hired a team of three consultants, including a former Disney executive, who toured the park in July 2005 to come up with ideas. The trio left after the tour, lunch at a fried pickle restaurant, and meetings with local officials with promises to keep the concepts close to the 1987 master plan. The agreement between VRFA and VLH was for a three-year lease option agreement, with up to two one-year extensions, allowing VLH to conduct studies and come up with a final proposal prior to VLH committing to development and investment of a minimum of in the first three years of a 99-year lease. VLH estimated its total investment would be closer to .