ill Ellenbogen came to Virginia Tech in 1969 and never really left. "Even
during the eight years I
played pro football, I kept a home here. I never found any place I liked better,"
says Ellenbogen, now a developer. "Blacksburg
has the energy of a college town and the sophistication of an urban place, but with none
of the attendant problems."
In 30 years, Ellenbogen has shaped Blacksburg’s growth. He’s
owner or part-owner of two popular
college restaurants tucked into stately
old homes: Bogen’s in Blacksburg and BT’s in Radford.
He strives to retain the mountainous beauty that’s kept him here, so his
subdivisions, Oakton and the new Coal Bank Ridge, are wooded, with most roofs below the
treetops. Hemlock-shaded Coal Bank Ridge put almost half its acreage in a conservation
easement and plans a series of trails connected to the National
Forest.
In addition to downtown commercial space, Ellenbogen has purchased
University Mall, which he is expanding and redesigning. In an unusual partnership with Columbia HCA, he acquired land near Montgomery Regional Hospital for his Hilltop Medical
Office Park, giving the hospital land for much needed parking spaces. In exchange,
Columbia shared the expense of contracting Anderson
& Associates for site engineering and stormwater management. The first of 10
office buildings in this park opened in November 2003.
Around town, however, Bill Ellenbogen is probably best known as a leading force for
creating the Huckleberry Trail. The
six-mile paved bike and footpath between the Blacksburg library and the New River Valley Mall
was completed in 1998, nearly nine years after Ellenbogen proposed it. In between,
numerous federal and state regulations had to be satisfied and $1.4 million in government
and private funds acquired. Now the trail attracts hundreds of joggers, cyclists, and
in-line skaters each day. "I hope this sort of opportunity for recreation and
commuting will attract people to live and work in Blacksburg," Ellenbogen says.
He hopes to soon connect outdoor enthusiasts from Blacksburg to Brush
Mountain and the National Forest through Gateway Park, a recently completed trail he
and other members of the Friends of the Huckleberry made available to Blacksburg. With
Ellenbogen’s backing, the group purchased land containing trail access, as well as a
house and riding arena. They sold the trail land to the town and will give the town the
remaining land in 20 years. "I see a lot of possibilities for this site as a trail
riding facility for equestrians with its existing ring and access to 30 miles of trails in
the Pandapas Pond area," he says.
Ellenbogen retired from the New York
Giants in 1981 and lives in Ellett Valley with his wife, Janet Keith, a business
professor, and children, Matt, 14, and Courtney, 12.
