Mayor defends Town Council against residents' complaints
At a Strasburg Town Council meeting, residents voiced ongoing opposition to Project Tallmadge and demanded a prohibition on future data centers. Mayor Brandy Hawkins Boies defended the council's approach, emphasizing individual review of data centers through special-use permits rather than an outright ban. The council is also reviewing proposed industrial design standards and broader industrial development in Shenandoah County.
Nineteen Strasburg residents spoke for approximately an hour at a recent Town Council meeting, predominantly expressing continued opposition to "Project Tallmadge" and urging the town to prohibit future data center developments. Commenters specifically asked councilmen Andrew Lowder and Brad Stover to support councilman Jonathan Price and members A.D. Carter IV and Emily McCoryn in considering the removal of data centers as an allowed use. However, no additional council member publicly backed this proposal.
Mayor Brandy Hawkins Boies delivered a lengthy defense of the council, rejecting suggestions that members were influenced by developers or unconcerned about the community. She reiterated her stance from July, advocating for individual review of future data centers through a special-use-permit process rather than an outright prohibition. Boies also suggested the town should assess its infrastructure, including water supplies, to understand the full capacity for all industrial development in Shenandoah County. The council is set to continue reviewing proposed industrial design standards at an upcoming work session.