Don Pendleton of Consensus Real Estate Services is usually on the other side of renovation projects as a real estate broker. He recently tackled a project of his own on Commerce Street. Pendleton has already finished restoring part of 1213, 1215, and 1217 Commerce Street, which housed a plumbing company. The sprawling space is already home to Consensus’ offices, while the two commercial spaces on street level are very close to completion. While talks are still underway, when finished, Pendleton says they will likely be occupied by a photography studio and a café of sorts. Pendleton is also renovating a three-level, 3,000 square foot section of the building that will become his personal residence.

“I can walk to most of the things that I used to drive to,” Pendleton said of his move to downtown.

Pendleton was also attracted by the uniqueness of the space, which he says is smaller than most of the other properties that he is familiar with.

“It changes the character of the job you can do. This property sits on its own lot, it is one residential unit and it has off-street parking. You can’t find that anywhere else downtown,” Pendleton said.

Pendleton has worked hard to stay true to the original architecture, maintaining the old elevator shaft and dumbwaiter and conducting photographic research. Before he is done, all the floorboards, which have 100 years worth of dust accumulated on them, will be removed and refinished. Pendleton also took the original doors and windows from the street-level entrance and installed them in Consensus’ conference room.

Along the way, he took advantage of historic tax credits to help offset the cost of renovation. The credits allow a renovator to recoup up to 45 percent of their cost. Ralph “Chopper” Wilson is also using historic tax credits on his newest effort. Wilson is renovating the former Waterfalls building on Main Street and says the project will be complete by the end of 2010. Three retail spaces will be on the ground level, one of which will be occupied by Taste Selects. Six residential spaces will be on the upper floor—three two-bedroom lofts and three one-bedroom lofts.

“Naturally, I didn’t really think next door,” Wilson said of renovating right next to his last project, the Parlor Lofts. “But the opportunity was there.”

Wilson is also carving out a new subterranean space behind the building—an underground area which will play host to a bar as well as space for both offices and retail by the end of the year.

But Wilson’s is not the only Main Street project underway. Urs Gabanthuler, who owns the Main Street Eatery at 907 Main Street, is renovating 1107 Main Street. Four apartments, one commercial space and a small café owned by Gabanthuler will eventually call it home. Gabanthuler, who moved his restaurant downtown from Boonsboro in 1997, said he faced skepticism when he originally moved onto Main.

“Nobody believed me, now they do,” said Gabanthuler of his belief that downtown could be a viable place to locate a restaurant. “People were patting me on the back, saying nobody made it downtown.”

Unlike his counterparts in Pendleton, Wilson and Gabanthuler, Kurt Schulz is a relative newbie to downtown renovation. The former Sweet Briar professor has already finished a 6,600 square foot project at 815 Church Street that Adam Barnes, a photographer, Scott Hengerer, a financial advisor, and Mark Arthur, an attorney, set up business in. Two residential spaces, which are also filled, are at 815. Now, Schulz is hard at work on another restoration project at 802 Court, where he envisions an attorney’s office would fit nicely along with a residential space in the 4,400 square foot building. What was originally a hobby has become a passion for Schulz.

“Over the course of renovating 815 Church Street, I fell in love with the property –I spent almost a year on the renovation myself, hired contractors and love the final product,” Schulz said. “Then, last summer I was looking around to do it again as a long-term investment. I do not condone, nor am I willing to participate in, ‘flipping properties.’”

Schulz, like many other downtown renovators, was adamant that in order to do a historic renovation correctly, an investor must think long-term. An emphasis on the long-term is built into the use of historic tax credits, which mandate that a building’s owner may not sell the building for five years after the renovation is complete. An example of this five-year waiting period is the Riverviews Artspaces, which only recently became available for purchase rather than rent.

Whether it’s a restaurant, a loft or an underground bar, a number of renovators are resculpting the downtown area and carving out new spaces for retailers and businesses alike. But with their emphasis on the historical nature of many of the buildings, it looks like some things are going to change by staying the same.

SYNQ is comprised of Mid-Atlantic Printers, Progress Printing, Prototype Advertising and Valtim. Though the names may be familiar to area residents, many may be surprised to learn that the four companies collectively boast more than 40 Fortune 500 clients including Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Home Depot.

The group effort grew out of an existing partnership between Altavista-based Mid-Atlantic and Progress. Though both are printers and target the same clients in some cases, they generally tackle different printing projects because of different equipment. The partnership worked like a traditional sub-contracting agreement, in which one would farm out the other’s services for a percentage of the job. Though the joint venture was successful, Jeff Sims, Progress’ VP of Sales and Marketing, still saw the need for an even bigger effort to accommodate the real power players.

“Big corporations no longer want to have 20, 30, 40 suppliers; that’s a thing of the past too. They’re trying to find three, four suppliers that can do it all and do it all well,” Sims said.

David Norcross, SYNQ’s Director of Sales, said the market is primed for a new marketing evolution and all four members said they know of no other existing enterprise like SYNQ. 

“We can no longer say that the market is changing. The market has changed,” Norcross said. “SYNQ is outside of the traditional because we truly look at the big picture when it comes to advertising and we have the ability to provide all marketing and advertising services under one collective roof.”

“No longer is it just traditional print; no longer is it just traditional television ads. Multi-channel marketing is now a real term…and with this group we can do it all,” Sims added.

The traditional method of accomplishing what SYNQ is now aiming to do has always been through mergers and acquisitions. SYNQ will essentially accomplish the goal of a traditional merger or acquisition without any one company shouldering the cost of taking on a new company. Forest-based Valtim, which offers services ranging from call centers to order fulfillment and digital printing, has considered an acquisition or merger in the past but were wary of the inevitable headaches that would have resulted, according to CEO Tim Hamilton.

“We’ve considered mergers and acquisitions for the last several years. We’ve been looking for 10 years how to diversify ourselves…we’d kind of hit a stalling point; we didn’t know which way to go,” Hamilton said.

The weak economy, which acted as a further deterrent for expansion, also provided a prime avenue for SYNQ by eliminating those merger or acquisition costs. Additionally, the slump has made businesses conscious of the need to maintain a strong brand presence in the public eye, according to Norcross.

“The companies that are smart have always marketed their business. They’re taking this economy and looking for different ways, not necessarily to expand their marketing budget, but looking for somebody like SYNQ who can walk in the door and do it all,” Norcross said.

Though the reasons for a “soup to nuts” approach, as Sims calls it, seem obvious, SYNQ is standing alone in the industry likely because of the competitive nature of the business, according to Charles Edwards of Mid-Atlantic.

“Printing is a very competitive industry. Most owners have been very protective of their accounts and probably would not be particularly interested in sharing that information with someone who conceivably could sell against them,” Edwards said.

For Edwards, the original partnership between Mid-Atlantic and Progress allowed Mid-Atlantic to expand their reach by utilizing the contacts Progress had already established.

“There were relationships that we couldn’t have [then] that we have now,” Edwards said.

While the SYNQ partners are already seeing the benefit of expanding their reach by utilizing each other’s client bases, clients will see an immediate benefit in their costs as well, which will be lowered through employing SYNQ. By using a streamlined approach, no service will ever have to be sub-contracted. Website and video development, a wide range of printing services and order processing or other customer service needs will all be covered under SYNQ’s umbrella.

Additionally, Prototype Advertising President Josh Oppenheimer said the unique approach will produce a brand image consistent across all content because of the synergy SYNQ will generate.

Currently, SYNQ is focusing some of its efforts on Northern Virginia and have a sales representative based in Washington, D.C. Though its ideal client would utilize SYNQ’s full range of services, the group will work with clients who need any of their services—a hallmark of the flexibility that it offers.

Though SYNQ is still just launching, the four pioneering members are confident that the ingredients for success are already in place, though Oppenheimer did concede the venture is a gamble. For Hamilton, keeping the keys of effective marketing in mind, namely lowering costs and establishing relationships, means SYNQ has laid the foundation to make Lynchburg the source for national businesses in search of a full-service marketing approach.

“We’ve got a union of our individual relationships that we’ve all built for decades now,” Hamilton said, “so those resources will have some alchemy to it and create opportunities in the long run…it’s a hard strategy not to be successful with.”

Duncan Solutions, a Wisconsin-based company, has been hired to build and install pay machines for both on and off-street paid parking. In a June 1 meeting, the city parking authority met with Edmund Booher, a Duncan representative that has worked with cities across the country to curb parking problems. Tentative plans were made for the on-street parking issues, though no timetable is yet in place for the switch from free parking to paid. The earliest installation of on-street paid parking will begin next spring and will depend on the availability of funds. Rates were not set at the meeting but members were in agreement that on-street rates would be higher than on the mid-town deck (the parking deck currently adjoining the Bank of the James building on Main Street). The current deck rate is $1 per hour and $5 per day.

One likely outcome of the meeting was a veto of any free parking, which members of the parking authority had proposed. According to City Parking Manager, Norman Hale, the cost to program the machines would be close to $10,000 each and there would be no way to prevent people from abusing the system. Booher also said that other cities have tried to work free parking into their systems but have been unsuccessful.

However, there will likely be free periods of parking, such as after 5 p.m. or on the weekends, though no concrete plans were made. The on-street parking will not be metered; rather, a kiosk will be located in the middle of each block. The system will be paperless and will only take credit or debit cards, eliminating the need for patrons to lug around change.

Hale said the city may also consider further parking decks in the future.

“The city’s overall plan is to look at whenever the demand is there and the revenue is there…we’ll look at the various areas of the city to best analyze where to locate the next parking deck when and if that time occurs,” Hale said. “I think for the interim period right now we just have to wait and see how the development goes as the developers develop their property.”

One of those developers is Ralph “Chopper” Wilson. Wilson owns both the Parlor Lofts and Market on Main and is currently renovating the Waterfalls building on Main Street. Like all downtown businesses, Wilson hopes that paid parking will create turnover but recognizes that too high of a fee could have the opposite effect.

“I think if the fee is low it wouldn’t be a problem. If it’s a reasonable fee, it would help to control parking to where you would have good turnover,” Wilson said.

Downtown businesses are not the only stakeholders with a vested interest in seeing the parking problem cleared up. Charlotte Allen has lived in one of Wilson’s lofts across from the Main St. Eatery since last August. During that time, Allen said she has seen traffic significantly increase as Market on Main has grown in popularity.

“If one significant event can create that, what’s going to happen when more significant events happen downtown and parking is not in place or some sort of plan is not in place?” Allen said.

Allen was a city councilwoman in Bedford during the ‘80s and knows that any decision like the one the city parking authority is making will not please everyone.

“When I was on city council in Bedford, we made one street one-way and you would have thought that we had just created the worst thing that could ever have happened,” Allen said.

Allen also said that any system the city creates must be self-sufficient and the parking authority has stated that is their goal. They project the system will generate enough revenue to cover all of its costs and plan to invest any additional funds into the downtown area rather than channel it back into the General Fund.

Hale is in the process of scheduling 10 upcoming public meetings to discuss the parking problem on not just Main Street but the rest of downtown as well. He is hoping to hold two meetings each to talk about proposed parking changes to Commerce, Jefferson and Court Streets that will allow the public to voice their opinion.

Though public opinion may be divided on the best way to solve the parking puzzle, both the public and downtown stakeholders will have a say in whatever plan the city parking authority ultimately rubber stamps. And if the pieces fit together correctly, Allen believes that an already bustling downtown can grow even more.

“There are a lot of people that have come in and said, ‘This was worth me investing my money and time into making this into a better place,’” Allen said. “If the city doesn’t come back…and provide the infrastructure, it’s going to turn into a ghost town and I think it’s just on the cusp of breaking wide open. It’s going to be a huge positive.”

Maddox set up shop two years ago in the Forest Crossing Center on Rt. 221 and has since grown from one artist to a staff of seven that includes piercers and receptionists.

“I saw the money potential in it,” Maddox said of the business that she started after selling furniture for nine years.

Though tattoos may still come attached with a less than savory stigma for some, Maddox says her clientele runs the gamut.

“We’re in Forest, in Bedford County, and there’s a different group of people here…I get all different types of people here, but more of an older crowd,” Maddox said. “It’s clean, it’s organized, it’s safe, it’s more family-oriented… someone’s grandma would be comfortable coming here.”

Maddox says an emphasis on service has led to her success.

“Every customer should be waited on immediately, so in order to have good customer service, that’s just the key. Once you have that, the rest will follow,” Maddox said.
She also says she is constantly looking for ways to set her shop apart from the competition. For example, Maddox sells Hardnox Clothing, a Roanoke-based line that proudly touts their anti-establishment roots and uses the tagline, “A Refreshing Punch in the Face.”

Casper’s foray into “body modification” came out of an artistic background. The 10-year Army infantry veteran holds an art degree and was exposed to art at an early age by his mother, an oil painter. He believes that the steady growth of the tattoo industry in Lynchburg is at least partially linked to the growing acceptance of the art form.

“Unless people have been tattooed, or have been in a tattoo shop and talked with people that work there, a lot of people just don’t understand the whole tattoo scene,” Casper said. “They think it’s still a military or biker type setting, but I think with shows like L.A. Ink or Miami Ink, it’s done a lot to expose the general masses to what tattooing is like.”

According to Casper, at one point in the mid- 90s, tattooing was the fastest growing industry in the U.S. and, at its height, a tattoo shop was opened every day.

“We stay just as busy now, but back then, it got to a point within a few years where it was almost overwhelming; we were constantly booked up for weeks,” he said.

Casper points to a changing demographic as one of the main reasons for the industry’s growth.

“The demographics are wide…that’s what happened in the ‘90s—the demographics started to change. Women started to get tattooed a lot more,” he explained.

Bankers, doctors, lawyers and professors have all been inked at Caspian over the years as the shop has grown from just Casper and one other artist to five. According to Casper, the shop has been successful because of a willingness to stay current.

“With any business, if you’re going to be successful, regardless of what you do, you have to have a good grasp on business concepts. The way things have changed and the way
demographics have changed…I think one of the reasons we’ve been as successful as we have been for 19 years is that we’ve changed with the business,” Casper said.

Casper started in a private studio off of Timberlake Road with a 10-year plan that included an emphasis on becoming a part of the fabric of the Lynchburg community.

“I built my business slow and steady. One of our goals with the studio was to be a fixture in the community, so if you live in Lynchburg we want you to say, ‘Hey, Caspian Tattoo is the local shop—that’s where you want to go. They’ve been around forever,’” he said.

To accomplish that goal, Casper has moved from what he terms entry-level advertising to promotional partnerships that make Caspian visible in the community, such as Caspian Tattoo Night at the Lynchburg Hillcats and the Hill City Halloween Tattoo Ball and Convention.

Though he has more competition than he used to, business is steady and Casper says his time in the industry has been a “wild ride.” A ride made even more fun, he says, by never knowing just who might walk through the door.

Now that you know the difference between a moped and a scooter, you might want to look into buying one (have you driven by a gas station lately?!). Johnson and his partner, Mike Daniel, own one of the few area businesses that see sales tick up as gas prices rise.

“Once [gas] gets over $3, things start going crazy, but when it gets over $4, it’s just nuts,” Johnson said.

Johnson and Daniel have owned Hill City Cycles, better known as Honda Suzuki of Lynchburg, since 2003 when they acquired it after a lengthy 3-year buyout process.

“[Honda was not] too psyched about a 24-year-old kid coming in to be an owner of a Honda dealership,” Johnson explained.

In 2000, Johnson, a Boston native, was fresh out of Liberty University armed with a business degree. Naturally, he jumped at the chance to take over the business he had worked at since 1996 when Daniel, who has worked at the dealership for more than 30 years, asked him to be his business partner. Since then, Johnson estimates that sales have more than quadrupled at their 12th Street showroom.

“I would much rather be out in a 25,000 square foot showroom on 221 … [but] I kind of like the downtown aspect,” Johnson said.

High gas prices have helped offset the effects of the economy, and Johnson says that he and Daniel have not had to let any employees go or cut hours since the economy slumped. He also believes that customer service has helped to keep the doors open for anyone who wants to come in.

“I don’t care if you come in here on a Harley, a Kawasaki, a Yamaha, a Ducati, whatever. If I can work on it, we’ll work on it,” Johnson said.

They were also able to acquire the Charlottesville-area Vespa and Piaggio dealership in April of 2009. The dealership was the largest on the East Coast when Hill City Cycles took it over. Though sales have been small, they are steady, and Johnson, who has long been a Vespa enthusiast, says they have sold around 20 since they acquired the dealership.

“It’s definitely been a slow takeoff. The first two or three months all we sold were just Piaggios and then a couple Vespas started taking off. A lot of it has been outside of Lynchburg,” Johnson said.

The Vespas and Piaggios have helped to fill in the gaps between the Honda and Suzuki scooters they sell. Honda and Suzuki both have small 50cc models, and larger 600cc models. However, they offer nothing in between. Vespa and Piaggio have offerings that range from 50cc’s all the way up to 300cc Vespas and 500cc Piaggios. Johnson is also able to offer buyers a larger price range. For example, a Honda 50 retails for $1,999, whereas a Vespa 50 can cost as much as $3,400.

Though the Piaggio name may not be as familiar as Vespa, which was popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s and has a retro, European flair, Piaggio is actually the parent company of Vespa and has a more rugged, ATV-style. Johnson says that Piaggio sales have been steadier in the Lynchburg area while Vespa has sold well in Roanoke and Charlottesville. While sales grow, the high price of fuel has also boded well for Johnson’s business.

“When gas was really high, I was having doctors, lawyers, nurses, accountants, all these different people coming in that weren’t your typical scooter rider,” Johnson said.

The company has long had an affiliation with the Hillcats and Johnson plans to have a few scooters at games this summer as well as a possible scooter raffle. They have even sold one through Winit.com, an online auction site.

Though sales have been small, Johnson feels that if gas prices continue to rise, Americans will grow more and more comfortable with “scooting” to work like much of the rest of the world does. And if Johnson has anything to say about it, future Lynchburgers will know the difference between a moped and a scooter.

City Construction Manager, Charles Grant, says the bridge was slated for renovation in 2005 during a city inventory of bridge conditions. Over the years, the carrying capacity of the bridge had been reduced as the more than 100-year-old bridge aged. A 2008 survey led to an in-depth evaluation of the bridge. The city hired Schwartz and Associates to do a thorough evaluation of possible repair options. The consulting company found cracks in the substructure, which is the middle level of the three parts of a bridge—the deck, substructure and foundation.

Three possible options were on the table, according to Grant—a complete replacement, a replacement of the bridge with an earth culvert or divert Cabell Street to connect it to the John Lynch Bridge. Because of the historic nature of the area, rerouting the street was deemed too expensive and a new bridge was determined as the best course of action. Fort Chiswell Construction was awarded the bid in the fall of 2009 and began construction on the $3.4 million project in November of that same year. The final cost for the replacement will be roughly $4 million, including the design, consulting and evaluation process, according to Project Manager, Ed Wood.

Daniel’s Hill residents were disappointed at first that the bridge was closed, according to Grant, but were happy that something was being done about the aging structure.

“They were dismayed that the bridge had to be closed…but they were pleased that we were working with them and they were pleased that the bridge was going to be replaced,” Grant said.

“They were very responsive and eager to see a new one put in,” added Wood.

For residents on the lower end of Cabell Street, the closure has meant that a trip to downtown adds a roughly one-mile drive up to Rivermont Avenue and over to 5th Street instead of a short jaunt across the river. Wood made sure, though, that residents were informed months in advance of the plans and were involved in the planning process.

Grant said that a fixed completion date of December 2, 2010, was established as a way of reassuring residents that the inconvenience would be temporary. Residents were further appeased by an assurance that the bridge would reflect the historic nature of the area. A federal Enhancement Grant, originally obtained by the city to restore the area’s brick-paved streets and streetlights, was partially diverted into the bridge project so the design could be tailored.

“We tried to make sure that we matched the infrastructure to the degree possible based on funding of the neighborhood,” Wood said. “There were some components that we were able to add to the bridge that reflected the neighborhood itself, the historic nature of the neighborhood.”

Mike Bedsworth, owner of the Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast, appreciated the uniqueness the former bridge added to Daniel’s Hill.

“We personally hate to see the old one go, because it had a lot of character,” he said.

Built in 1878, the Carriage House is emblematic of the character Bedsworth speaks of. However, he believes the bridge will help to make the area flow more seamlessly into the downtown area.

“I think it’s an attractive area even without the bridge; it’s a great area. I think the bridge being open would give you better access, put you closer to downtown,” Bedsworth said.

Marjette Upshur, Director of Economic Development for the City of Lynchburg, said that the revitalization efforts in downtown are ready to take the next step and expand beyond the traditional downtown boundaries.

“I think downtown is at such a stage now that when the bridge gets in…that becomes much more of where you might see folks locating a business, like down at the end of Cabell Street…there actually are some zoned business [areas] and I know they’ve been trying to either sell some of those buildings or probably recruit people, and I see those as downtown moving into the next step,” Upshur said. “When there are no longer buildings [available] right there on Main, Commerce and Church Streets, that’s a natural place for people to start looking at some of these mixed-use housing, retail, or maybe office [space].”

While some have voiced concern over the city pouring money into an area that usually sees light traffic, Upshur says that to survive, the city must maintain its downtown. Since revitalization began in earnest, property values in the downtown area have risen from $75 million to more than $134 million.

“I just ask people, ‘If you can tell me of a city that is economically vibrant and has not redone their downtown, please bring it to me and show me.’ It’s like looking at one of your arms and saying I don’t need that anymore,” Upshur said.

Grant also added that a city must think long-term regardless of the project.

“Cities are forever,” he said. “They’re not 20-year ventures, and when we do this, we need to make sure we do it right…we need to be spending the public’s money the best way we can.”

Edison 2 is the brainchild of Oliver Kuttner, who is known more for his real estate ventures in Charlottesville and Lynchburg than automotive design—a contention that Kuttner says is backwards.

“I was always involved in cars, it’s just that newspapers like to write about real estate…all of my life I have said I’m a developer second,” Kuttner said.

Kuttner’s real passion is racing and he has been involved in a number of projects in the past, most recently bringing the Ford GTR back to the American Le Mans Series. Today, he is working towards undoubtedly the biggest purse of his racing career—the $10 million X Prize.

“It’s the efficiency Olympics for automobiles and it happens once in your life,” Kuttner said.

Held at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, the X Prize pits teams from across the globe against each other in a long-distance stage race. The only catch? Each entry must average 100 MPGe, (equivalent to 100 mpg of gasoline regardless of what fuel is used). The X Prize, which has previously been awarded for spacecrafts, offers the $10 million in hopes that teams will create vehicles that break the mold.

Kuttner and his team, all of whom come from a racing background, have produced what they believe is a winning entry in their Very Light Car, a 250 cc, one cylinder, 27 horsepower internal combustion engine that runs on ethanol and should top out at well over 110 mph.

Expected to weigh less than 1,000 pounds, the Very Light Car is the result of leaving nothing to chance, according to Edison 2’s Director of Communications, David Brown.

“They looked at the entirety of this car, took virtually nothing off the shelf, took every piece, thought about its function, thought about its weight and you end up with a car that is the lightest, most aerodynamic car perhaps ever built,” Brown, the former mayor of Charlottesville and current city council member, said.

Of the 41 entries in the Progressive Automotive X Prize, 35 are hybrid or electric vehicles, making the Edison 2 team one of just six using an internal combustion engine. This kind of engine, combined with steel and aluminum construction, were all part of an effort to design a vehicle capable of being mass-produced. A business model is part of the X Prize and teams must demonstrate how they can sell 10,000 cars over the next three years, as well as meet 2014 emission and safety standards, to qualify for entry.

“Most of the teams are working on a car that will cost $50,000…this car will cost $20,000,” Brown said.

Edison 2 is also hedging their bet by entering a car in all three categories: Mainstream (4 passenger), Alternative tandem (2 passenger) and Alternative side-by-side (2 passenger). The $10 million award will be split between the three categories, with the Mainstream winner receiving half and the two Alternative categories splitting the remaining $5 million.

Kuttner has assembled a team that has plenty of hours under the hood. Headed by Chief of Design Ron Mathis, the group includes Barnaby Wainfan, a Northrop Grumman aerodynamics fellow, and Brad Jaeger, a Vanderbilt engineering graduate and professional driver who will drive the Edison 2 cars in September’s competition. Along with Julian Calvet and Kevin Doran, the team has a number of professional racing victories under their belt as well as years of experience in designing prototypes and racing vehicles, which has helped to create a radically new design.

“We redesigned everything. Everything’s new; it’s a new approach,” Jaeger said. “While we’re in the mold as far as dealing with cars, we are so far outside of the mold from the Big Three (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) in building a production vehicle.”

For example, the suspension, including shock absorbers and springs, are located inside of each wheel; a design that the team feels is one of their biggest breakthroughs. Even simple bolts and nuts have been scrutinized.

“To build a better car, you make it a little better every time,” Kuttner explained. “All the time—lighter is better, lighter is better.”

Edison 2’s emphasis on decreasing drag and weight are different from other teams, who are focusing instead on using batteries or hybrid engines to produce the required 100-MPGe. And, though they are attempting to solve complex problems, Kuttner’s mantra throughout has been simple: Keep the weight down, make it work well and make it cheap.

If successful, Kuttner claims the principles that underlie the Very Light Car, when produced on a mass scale, would allow the U.S. to export oil. Despite that contention, only three other projects like Edison 2’s are being conducted in the entire world—Volkswagon’s L1, Toyota’s 1/x and Gordon Murray’s T.25. Kuttner says Edison 2 is ahead of them all.

With preliminary stages fast approaching, the team is in crunch-time mode, according to Kuttner, working toward a goal that would be the realization of a dream that’s been a lifetime in the making for Edison 2.

“There are people in my family that think I’m crazy to be doing this as a real estate developer during a time when every real estate developer is hanging on a cliff…but sometimes if you have an opportunity, you grab it, and I am 100 percent [certain] that, for me, this is my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I personally believe that for all of these guys, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Kuttner said. “By taking a clean sheet and starting from nothing we’re making a leap and it’s a leap people don’t realize even exists.”

However, for every success story in Wyndhurst, there have been chapters that didn’t end well for other ventures. Nine years have flown by since Enterprise Drive began to ferry travelers past a commercial center filled to capacity. Today, some of those original businesses have survived, but commercial spaces sit empty—more than 25 out of the 140 or so spaces. Undeterred, many of those involved in Wyndhurst’s planning are already waist-deep in their next ventures: Cornerstone on Greenview Drive, as well as Downtown Moneta near Smith Mountain Lake. Time will tell if those projects are successful, but the question still on the minds of many is, “Are Lynchburg-area planned communities worth it?”

They were for Mark Borel. As owner of Borel Construction, he was part of the original planning team for Wyndhurst. Now, along with son Marcus, who graduated from Virginia Tech in 2007, Borel is hard at work on both Cornerstone and Downtown Moneta. The idea of a traditional neighborhood development, of which all three Borel projects are, was something that he had no previous experience with.

“Nobody in the city had done a project this big,” Borel said. “It was definitely something new to the area, so it was uncharted territory.”

Turning 400 acres of cow pasture into an area that now has a population of somewhere between 1,400 and 2,000 required a concerted effort from both the City and private investors. Bill Jamerson was the driving force behind the project, which required Lynchburg to write an entirely new zoning ordinance. The idea was a simple one—a family-oriented, pedestrian-friendly community that would combine the charm of small-town living with the convenience of bigger-city shopping. Inherent in that design plan, though, as the developers discovered, was a commercial zone that would have to operate apart from any sort of big-box anchor store, like Wal-Mart or even a small grocery store. The result was a group of retailers expecting foot traffic that never materialized.

“We have found it’s hard to have a successful retail place without a strong anchor,” Marcus Borel said.

Not that it has always been that way. Early on, there was a pseudo-anchor in Neighbor’s Place Market. The restaurant and deli was operated by the same owners of The Neighbor’s Place, one of Wyndhurst’s more notable success stories. When the Market closed, foot traffic markedly declined, according to Ken Burger. Burger, the executive director of The Summit and another of Wyndhurst’s original planners, echoed Marcus’ sentiment about the community’s need for an anchor.

“If we had an anchor, like a Trader Joe’s, that would be absolutely marvelous, but if we had an anchor like a Wal-Mart that would change who we are,” Burger said. “If we had planned a little more carefully, and put a restaurant here and found a way to do a Trader Joe’s or even found a private developer to do a Trader Joe’s kind of store, and then circle retail around that, yeah, I think that would have helped immensely.”

Burger’s reference to the need for something like a Trader Joe’s, a popular grocery store specializing in organic offerings, is part of a telling story about Wyndhurst’s beginnings. Burger acknowledges that having a grocery store or other large retailer would have been difficult but not impossible. According to Mark Borel, a minimum of two acres would be needed for a large retail outlet. With this kind of space now lacking, Burger does wish that better planning had gone into the commercial side of Wyndhurst. Early on, there was little consistency between the more than a dozen different property associations, and he believes there was a need for a small staff to promote the area as well as target retailers who could have been successful.

Instead, the retail was literally a free-for-all, with each commercial space placed into a lottery and doled out accordingly to different developers. Melissa Taylor’s travel agency, Travelbugs, was one of the first businesses in Wyndhurst and, like Burger, Taylor said that the lack of consistency was immediately apparent, though it was of little concern.

“At the time, it didn’t really matter. Wyndhurst was going to be wonderful, every single shop was going to turn to gold, so no one really cared whether they were on the front line or in the back,” said Taylor.

Taylor was eventually forced to leave, not because of lack of business, but because of the need for more space after experiencing a 200 percent growth rate every year while in Wyndhurst. Though Taylor wasn’t struggling, many were.

“The biggest problem was a lot of the business owners were moms who were starting a small business, and they couldn’t be there late at night. They had to play ‘Super Mom’…and they weren’t willing to be open at night, which was when retail needed to be open.”

Taylor believes that had some of the owners been able to survive longer, they may have found their feet. However, the three-year leases that were common became a deadline that most couldn’t meet.

“We tried too much in a small amount of time, that people just said, ‘Forget it, I can’t keep up with that,’ instead of…saying, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do and we’re going to do it from the start and we’re going to do it consistently and it will work,’” Taylor said. “It was a new idea and everyone was trying things to see what would work and it turned out to be pretty devastating for all the businesses there.”

Despite the mixed success on the commercial side, the assortment of condos, townhomes and single family homes sold well and continue to do so, much like what is happening at Cornerstone, which is full. Located on the newly improved Greenview Drive, the location has proven to be attractive to students and seasoned Lynchburgers alike. According to Borel, the lessons learned from Wyndhurst were instrumental in the planning of Cornerstone. His three main concerns regarding Wyndhurst were the lack of an open space for community gatherings, a commercial sector that was too spread out and a balance of residential and commercial that leaned too heavily toward commercial.

In response, the 125-acre lot that encompasses Cornerstone includes a park, complete with a playground and walking trails, as well as a heavier emphasis on residential space. Though the commercial space has not been constructed, the plan calls for one strip of commercial spaces that will essentially split the community in half. Realty Group realtor Tina Friar says the promise of future retail space has been a selling point.

“That’s going to be a little different from what we’ve seen at Wyndhurst…it’s going to have the Main Street, USA, kind of feel to it. There’s a middle section that has trees, so the shops will be to the left and right of that, and it’s only the one street,” Friar said.

Martha Brown, also of the Realty Group, says that retailers will be recruited to fill the commercial space that will appeal to the Cornerstone lifestyle of convenience.

“We’re recruiting retailers that would be interested in appealing to the younger audience—pizza parlors, nail salons, hair salons. I think the two things that would be ideal to offset the neighborhood and bring it together would be a bank and convenience store,” said Brown, though no plans are in place for any specific retailers.

Borel’s third project, Downtown Moneta, has struggled commercially as well. Route 122 splits the property, dividing the commercial and residential sectors and is a perilous crossing for foot traffic. The main problem has been the lack of a steady base of support because of Smith Mountain Lake’s community, which is comprised of many summer-only residents.

“The problem the Lake has is, you’ve got people four months out of the year, but for eight months, you’re sucking wind,” Borel explained.

Looming over all three projects is an economy that bottomed out quickly, taking property values with it. Borel said that during the housing boom, when Wyndhurst was started, he had five crews that were building a house every 10 days. Today, Borel Construction operates at 25 percent of its high-water mark.

If nothing else, Lynchburg’s planned communities, which previously occupied undeveloped land, have been a boon for the city’s tax coffers. Wyndhurst’s taxable value has risen from $2.2 million to $220 million in the space of 11 years, which generates more than $2 million in real estate taxes every year, according to City Assessor Greg Daniels in a 2009 News and Advance article. City councilman Jeff Helgeson told the newspaper that that figure alone makes the development a success even though the city’s tax-assessed value of commercial properties in Wyndhurst dropped 12 percent in 2009 because the buildings are selling for less than expected.

In addition, Enterprise Drive was obviously needed. It is estimated that 14,000 cars use the cut-through every day, according to the News and Advance. And Borel says that he is already seeing a profit from Cornerstone.

Still, questions remain. Cornerstone’s commercial side is yet to be built, and with the lessons learned from Wyndhurst, it may have a better chance to be successful. Downtown Moneta retailers face the challenge of trying to stay out of the red by depending on summer business. The economy, though improving, has played a role in each community’s viability and will continue to do so.

Today, more than two dozen spaces sit empty in Wyndhurst, filled with memories of what was less than a decade ago. According to Burger, Wyndhurst is still figuring out just what it will be after a mixture of failure and success.

“After this many years, six, seven years, Wyndhurst is beginning to find its way…Lynchburg is beginning to find its feet pretty solidly with a balance of residential, retail and professional offices,” Burger said.

The line has thinned at The Muse—just an old man ordering a black coffee, no room for cream, to-go. The mid-morning crowd, in for their caffeine fix, has moved on and it is quiet. Cars are still rumbling along outside, a white Ford Taurus followed by a blue Nissan. Enterprise Drive is bustling, as it always is. Wyndhurst, though? After nine years, that’s a question that still remains unanswered.

White, a sergeant with the Lynchburg Sheriff’s Department, has headed up Project Lifesaver since its inception eight years ago.

“There was a sheriff down in Chesapeake, and he went to a conference and heard about a program that assisted in locating lost individuals,” White said. “It started with the tracking units they put on animals—it’s the same basic concept—and he said, ‘Well, if they can track animals with that, then I think we could probably figure out a way to use it to locate people,’ because people were getting lost, and we weren’t finding them.”

A prime example, which helped to spur Project Lifesaver, happened in Danville when an Alzheimer’s patient wandered away from an area nursing home during a November snowstorm. The man was found two weeks later just 75 yards away from the home, where he had lain down near the road and been covered with plowed snow.

Stories like that are sobering reminders of the important role that Project Lifesaver is currently playing. Since 2002, White says he has received 78 calls regarding lost clients.

“We’ve found every one of them, in usually 30 minutes or less,” White said.

Currently, White has 28 clients, ranging in age from 4 to 92. Though most are older Alzheimer or dementia-afflicted people, White does have a handful of younger autistic clients.

Clients are outfitted with a tracking device that is embedded in a plastic or leather bracelet. That device sends out a radio frequency signal that can be tracked by White and his receiving unit. When a client is lost, White is called and he and his team follow the signal, which grows stronger the closer they get.

A loud beeping lets White know when he is close and from that point, the team “goes mobile” and physically searches for the lost person. The Project Lifesaver rescue crew is comprised of roughly 20 members from the police department, Sheriff’s department, fire department and lifesaving crew.

Over the years, White says he has developed a feel for where he will find those who have wandered off. For instance, he relayed a story about a 50-year-old man and Appomattox native who lives on Memorial Avenue and likes to drink a particular soda that is sold at the Kroger’s on Wards Road.

“My first stop is Kroger [on] Wards Road. My second stop is [Route] 460 towards Appomattox and that’s where he’s going to be—one of those two stops,” White said.

In July 2009, an Appomattox man who was not part of Project Lifesaver went missing, according to local news outlets. Seventy-seven-year-old George Morris disappeared around 2:30 p.m. on a Wednesday and was not found until the next morning at a convenience store near Bent Creek, according to WDBJ 7. Though Morris was found, his disappearance highlighted the importance of programs like Project Lifesaver.

“You have no idea where to look or where they are,” White told WDBJ at the time.

Cindy BonDurant, who works with the Lynchburg Alzheimer’s Association, stresses to members the importance of enrolling in Project Lifesaver.

“We never know when they are going to wander, because the disease is very unpredictable,” BonDurant told WDBJ after the Morris disappearance.

The program has been embraced by area nursing and rest homes such as Heritage Green, Grace Lodge, the Pace Center and Westminster-Canterbury. In addition to the peace of mind that the program affords caregivers, it also helps to limit liability and costly lawsuits that can result when patients go missing.

Group homes are not White’s only clients, as any willing individual can be enrolled in the program. In fact, “willingness” is a key ingredient to making the program a success. The bracelet that clients are outfitted with is a simple, plastic snap-on which can be easily removed. Even heavier leather bracelets can be taken off by an unwilling patient.

“If a person doesn’t want it on, they’re not going to keep it on,” White said.

White said that he sees Project Lifesaver continuing to expand in the future as the technology develops, and current statistics back up his contention. Though the present rate sits at one patient being diagnosed every 70 seconds with Alzheimer’s, that number is expected to rise to one every 33 seconds by mid-century, according to the Alzheimer’s Association Web site.

Project Lifesaver costs just $25 per month and is completely non-profit. To help offset costs, a charity golf tournament is held every September at Poplar Grove in Amherst and White accepts donations as well to help cover the cost of the search units, which totals close to $3,000. For a man who spends most of his own time searching for people, White says he has been blown away by the community support that Project Lifesaver receives.

“I have people looking for me,” White says in reference to those who donate to Project Lifesaver.

Of course, every penny donated helps bring one more person home. For White, it’s a mission that’s not only necessary, but personal.

“I had an uncle who had Alzheimer’s who would wander off, and I said, ‘There’s got to be something’ and when this came together I got him on the program. So, it kind of hits a little close,” White explained.

For those interested in Project Lifesaver, White can be reached at the Lynchburg Sheriff’s Department. For more information about Alzheimer’s and its impact on the Lynchburg area, visit www.alz.org.