12albion
Susie King Taylor2 360x1000
Adam Gopnik 360x1000
1theleasofus
11632
10abion
Thomas Piketty3 360x1000
Susie King Taylor 360x1000
Samuel Johnson 360x1000
11albion
7albion
lifeinmiddlemarch2
Ruth Bader Ginsburg 360x1000
5albion
Brendan Beehan 360x1000
LillianFaderman
Margaret Fuller 360x1000
Thomas Piketty2 360x1000
2lookingforthegoodwar
Stormy Daniels 360x1000
Tad Friend 360x1000
2falsewitness
4albion
1lauber
1paradide
Gilgamesh 360x1000
Margaret Fuller2 360x1000
2transadentilist
1madoff
1transcendentalist
4confidencegames
1falsewitness
George M Cohan and Lerarned Hand 360x1000
2trap
lifeinmiddlemarch1
Richard Posner 360x1000
Lafayette and Jefferson 360x1000
1jesusandjohnwayne
Mary Ann Evans 360x1000
Anthony McCann2 360x1000
Mark V Holmes 360x1000
3defense
storyparadox2
13albion
1confidencegames
3paradise
14albion
2confidencegames
Edmund Burke 360x1000
2theleastofus
Anthony McCann1 360x1000
storyparadox3
7confidencegames
2albion
Spottswood William Robinson 360x1000
James Gould Cozzens 360x1000
9albion
2gucci
5confidencegames
6albion
Margaret Fuller5 360x1000
Margaret Fuller1 360x1000
Thomas Piketty1 360x1000
1lafayette
199
Storyparadox1
1albion
1lookingforthegoodwar
1defense
399
499
Margaret Fuller4 360x1000
2defense
George F Wil...360x1000
Margaret Fuller3 360x1000
1trap
2paradise
Betty Friedan 360x1000
AlexRosenberg
Margaret Fuller 2 360x1000
299
1empireofpain
3theleastofus
Maria Popova 360x1000
Office of Chief Counsel 360x1000
6confidencegames
2lafayette
3confidencegames
Learned Hand 360x1000
3albion
8albion'
2jesusandjohnwayne
1gucci
Maurice B Foley 360x1000

This table comes from the Tax Court decision in Mill Road 36 Henry LLC.  In each case promoters applied for conditional zoning approval to build an assisted living facility in Henry County GA.  They then brought in investors and donated a conservation easement rater than develop.  The $8,835,000 deduction in Mill Road for the easement on 33 of Mill Road’s 40 acres represents a valuation of $270,800 per acre.  At trial a lower valuation was argued. Judge Gustafson remarked:

A developer intending to build a facility would never have contemplated buying the Mill Road Tract for $6.7 million but would instead have bought one of the many other tracts available at much lower prices. As a prospective developer would do, we view the price of a comparable undeveloped lot in Henry County as the proper “substitute” by which to value to the Mill Road Tract. Mr. Kinney’s valuation of $900,000 was based on such comparables, and we adopt his valuation.

The table below was included as a supplement.  I have added the Tax Court dockets as each of the comparable entities is also being litigated.  The promoters applied for zoning for ten different projects in the same county and turned each into an easement donation.  Mill Road 36 Henry is the first to go to decision,

 

Properties in Henry County for which the Planning and Zoning staff issued a recommendation of approval for conditional use to operate an assisted living facility
Entity Concept Plan Units Date of Conditional Use Evaluation Report Date Acquired Acres Price per Acre39
Mill Road 36 Henry, LLC

11676-20

677 07/08/2016 08/28/2015 39.68 $10,498
Highway 81 Henry 55, LLC

11428-21

844 08/15/2016 12/29/2015 54.85 10,939
Stroud Road Henry 640, LLC

12184-20

1,838 08/15/2016 01/27/2015 634.93 5,367
Airline Road Property Holdings LLC

6426-21

656 08/24/2016 11/29/2016 39.5 9,925
Hanger Highway 81 Henry 89, LLC

11677-20

672 09/13/2016 06/17/1991 86.12 1,682
Harris Drive Henry 76, LLC

6947-21

750 09/13/2016 12/29/2015 73.21 11,380
Highway 20 Henry 30, LLC

11813-20

585 09/13/2016 09/29/2011 29.29 9,450
Island Shoals Henry 430, LLC

31759-21

30074-21

32936-21

(Judge Goeke)

1,733 09/13/2016 01/27/2015 421.01 4,761
We Partner Weems 82, LLC

11788-21

696 09/13/2016 12/29/2015 82.58 6,055
Foster Drive Henry 86, LLC

4094-21

650 03/06/2017 02/27/2016 85.24 10,000
Fairview Road Henry 65, LLC

12221-21

840 03/22/2017 12/16/2016 53.25 10,798

For great value continuing professional education.  I recommend the Boston Tax Institute

You can register on-line or reach them by phone (561) 268-2269 or email vc@bostontaxinstitute.com.  Mention Your Tax Matters Partner if you contact them.


For articles oriented toward tax professionals check out Think Outside The Tax Box.