The Strasburg Town Council settled the fate of the former Northern Virginia Daily building Tuesday, approving a special use permit allowing it to be used for storage.
The decision comes with some stipulations, as the motion for approval requires no more than 49% of the building’s floor space be used for storage and prohibits that storage space from occupying the first 40 feet along Holliday Street. These conditions will allow the building to retain its primary function as a commercial storefront.
“The storage use isn’t really a self-storage in a sense where you have occupants coming in to access it all the time,” Planning and Public Services Director Brian Otis said. “This is just storage being used for individuals, businesses that are in that area to store their materials. We feel it doesn’t create any further impacts. It’s not going to add any more traffic to the area.”
Thomas Price, owner of Box Office Brewery, said the space was a crucial asset for his business.
“I never thought that I would say that Box Office Brewery would run out of space, but we’ve run out of space,” Price told the council. “We need that additional storage just to keep operating.”
Alongside Box Office Brewery equipment and furniture, the building currently stores a collection of wax figures, Otis said.
“My understanding through conversation is that the (property owner) has acquired wax figures from a wax museum outside West Virginia and currently he’s storing them in that location,” Otis said.
The council delved into financial matters early Tuesday as Town Manager Waverly Coggsdale presented the preliminary budget picture for fiscal year 2026, highlighting some significant financial hurdles.
The town is facing a $460,500 deficit in the general fund, Coggsdale said, with annual revenue falling short of the combined salaries and operations expenses.
Coggsdale asked the council to start considering whether they would be open to raising taxes to address the deficit.
“A conversation we are going to have to have sooner than later is if there’s any desire by this council to raise taxes to help with that number,” Coggsdale said. “Because, if you do that, we want to do it so it’s a full year, not a half year, and we have to have that done by the end of April 1.”
Other business
The council scheduled a public hearing for Feb. 11 to consider a 30-year franchise agreement with Washington Gas. The agreement would allow the company continued use of public easements for infrastructure maintenance, although it does not mandate an expansion of services.
“This essentially just keeps them in play,” Town Attorney Michael Helm said.
Otis also updated the council on the Sandy Hook waterline project. Council members received an update on the $750,000 upgrade aimed at addressing pressure fluctuations on the water lines serving both the elementary and middle schools. The town has received bids for the project, with Otis stating officials are reviewing the bids and plan to bring them forward for action during the council’s February meeting.
James Ruff, co-owner of Crabby Maggie’s Seafood and Bretzel’s, spoke during the public comment period, calling on the town to enforce its signage ordinance equally after being told to remove various signs advertising his business. Ruff said he was informed the ordinance was enforced on him due to complaints but claimed other violations in town have gone unaddressed.
“If you’re not going to hold everyone accountable, don’t tell me that it has to be a complaint before I get held accountable,” he said.
The council also discussed snow removal and sidewalk maintenance, with Mayor Brandy Hawkins Boies emphasizing the importance of clearing sidewalks to ensure walkability.
The current ordinance requires property owners to clear sidewalks adjacent to their properties within a specified time after a snow event or risk a $50 fine. The council considered ways to improve compliance, such as issuing reminders to property owners and reviewing the current policy.
Finally, town staff announced plans to convert four vacant part-time public works positions into two full-time roles to address hiring challenges and operational needs.
The town council voted in Ashleigh Kimmons as the new vice mayor, replacing Emily McCoryn. Boies broke a 3-3 tie between Kimmons and A.D. Carter IV to appoint Kimmons to the position.
Boies also appointed two council members as liaisons to each of the town’s departments: Christie Monahan and Brad Stover as liaisons for finance, McCoryn and David Woodson as liaisons for planning, ordinance, and public services, Carter and Jonathan Price as liaisons for public safety, and Andrew Lowder and Kimmons as liaisons for strategic initiatives.
The meeting was also the first for incoming council member Price. Former Strasburg mayor and current County Supervisor Tim Taylor welcomed Price, along with Kimmons, Monahan, and Woodson, who were re-elected, to the board.
“You’re tasked with something very simple but complex. You’re responsible for taking care of our home. It is the most important thing to us,” Taylor said.
