Vice-Chairman Megan Marrazzo of Town Planning Commission Urges Decisiveness on Data Centers at Town Council Meeting

The May 26 regular meeting of the Town Council could be reported in many ways, all of them valid. With a blockbuster, landmark issue like urban agriculture coming to fruition, the focus could easily be that. A text amendment for firearm assembly would also be a worthy launching point. But a presentation during public comments from Megan Marrazzo, vice-chairman of the Town Planning Commission, stands out as a hallmark moment that speaks directly to what the community is thinking about right now.

Town Council members trickled in for a regular meeting on May 26. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh

Her message about data centers was simple: the Town needs to act as quickly as possible. With the old Avtex site, zoned industrial, having been purchased by a party that could potentially propose a data center there, the need for exhaustive performance standards or an outright ban has become acute. Whatever decision the council makes, Marrazzo emphasized, it needs to be made soon. The party in question is still in the “due diligence” stage, but that could end shortly.

Planning Director Lauren Kopishke was prepared to speak for staff on several key items for public hearings.

As soon as any future application hits planning, “it’s whatever’s on the books”, she stated. That something should be in place, whatever that may be, is her chief concern. She was followed by Matthew Purdy of Breitbart News, who detailed some of the greatest abuses of the data center industry and called for a ban, which, in his mind, is the simplest, most effective solution. “Please don’t give us content,” he stated ironically, in reference to any future, possibly negative Breitbart coverage.

After leading the gathering in the pledge of allegiance, Brielle Whited stood with the mayor, who thanked her for her patriotism.

If the computing industry can make genocide efficient, then it is minimally capable of ineptitude. Shelved at Samuel’s Public Library, a book worth reading is IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance Between Nazi Germany and America’s Most Powerful Corporation. The predecessor of today’s computer, which IBM supplied to the Nazis, the Hollerith punch-card machine and sorting system, allowed for the scale at which six million Jews were murdered, through the efficient processing of information.

Graduates of the Citizens Academy received the congratulations of the mayor. (R to L) Bret Bement, John Brishcar, Melanie Clements, Paula Hackman.

That an industry which began so darkly continues to terrorize communities through vast consumption of resources, noise pollution, and other annoyances comes as no surprise. Saying no to data centers might be the equivalent of saying no to fascism, if only by raising the bar to a level that most of them cannot clear. Perhaps the iPhone, chartered in 2007, is a gem in the possession of an unworthy party, lending prophetic power to the Titanic sketch in which Kate Winslet is wearing nothing but the gem, thereby liberating it from the context of a tyrannical and abusive relationship.

The council, in its reports, reflected on why the English royal couple wanted to visit Front Royal last month. “It’s not just how we look, it’s how we act,” Mayor Lori Cockrell testified, amid all the mementos of April 30 that she shared, including a letter from British ambassador to the United States, Sir Christian Turner, expressing how long the memory of driving down Main Street will live in his memory and the special place Front Royal now occupies in the shared history between England and America.

The couple wanted to see what the British team calls “real Americans”. They were not only impressed by amenities like Skyline Drive but by the gracious hospitality of everyone here with whom they interacted. Now more than ever, a solemn responsibility has been placed on Front Royal to maintain the character for which it is known, the character that attracted the English royal family and continues to attract visitors who discover the downtown businesses and the opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Of course, part of what protects Front Royal’s uniqueness is what Vice-Mayor Amber Veitenthal calls “a living document”, referring to the Town’s ordinance. While every municipality has an ordinance, other locations do not necessarily have the same assets, assets which are protected by the Town’s ability to make changes as it is appropriate to do so. Thus, mistakes are not memorialized, and opportunities can be maximized. The evening of the 26^th was a victory for this type of government, as the council passed an ordinance regulating urban agriculture, providing what staff communicated was sorely needed guidance. In the interest of maintaining a use that is incidental to primary residential use, the council adopted a three-tiered system governing the scale of the operation based on lot size. It allows for chickens, bees, and rabbits, but no livestock, and requires that slaughtering take place outside of Town limits. It also makes a new allowance for one rooster per ten hens in the largest lot size captured by the third tier.

The evening’s agenda saw another rearrangement of furniture for that living document, insofar as firearms retail will now be allowed by right in the C-1 district. Furthermore, a process for special-use permits will be allowed in C-1 for firearms manufacturing, the difference being that within the latter, firearm assembly has overtaken the 35% benchmark of retail area. Applicant David Cressell confirmed under questioning from Councilman Bruce Rappaport that assembly at the site will not involve modifications or any of the infrastructure that modifications imply, and neither will there be any testing of the firearms at the site. Veitenthal expressed warm support for the enterprise and wished Cressell the best in his endeavors. The C-1 zone adjacent to the UPS store will now see some much-needed development.

Other items that evening involved housekeeping measures as well as the approval of a short-term rental, the sale of an unimproved alley previously conditionally vacated by ordinance, and the adoption of the FY 26-27 budget. Town Manager Joseph Petty made several key notifications, including the closure of the railroad crossing on Manassas Avenue from June 1 to June 2, resulting in the farm being closed at that time as work is underway. He highlighted a June 4 liaison meeting between Town and County. On June 19, Town offices will be closed for “Juneteenth”. He also remarked on his first year of playing a role in Citizens Academy, congratulating graduates and assuring that the tradition will be continued. Finally, he acknowledged the inter-departmental effort that made the April 30 royal visit possible.

The open meeting was followed by a closed session.

Watch the Front Royal Town Council Meeting of May 26, 2026.