Summary
A tax representative presented income and sales‑based evidence asserting a lower market value for the Northland 14 cinema; county staff relied on a prior board reduction and a cost approach adjustment and said concessions and lease details were incomplete for the income approach.
A tax representative argued that B & B Theatres' Northland 14 should be assessed at about $88 per square foot based on a contracted master lease and weak industry income, while county staff defended the current assessment and said income and lease evidence were incomplete or non‑arms‑length.
Charles Young, manager of state and local tax with Swartz and Associates, testified he used the master lease for the Northland 14 (and two other theaters covered by the master lease) to calculate contract rent and projected potential gross income. Using the property's reported square footage, Young calculated a potential gross and estimated an NOI that, with an assumed cap rate of 8%, yielded a value of about $4.62 million ($88 per square foot). He told the board: "We think that's the fair market value of this theater."
County staff said the county measured the building at 41,458 square feet (the taxpayer's materials used a larger square footage) and that theaters are difficult to value by income because leases are often non‑arms‑length, revenues have been depressed since the pandemic and sale comparables are sparse. The county also noted the parcel was reduced at a 2023 board hearing and the current 2025 figure reflects a 6% statutory increase for the assessment cycle.
Both sides introduced sales comparables for movie theaters across multiple states; the tax representative emphasized weak box office trends and structural industry shifts (streaming, recliner seating reducing capacity) as reasons values have declined. The county said it relied primarily on cost or sales approaches for movie theaters due to the limited and inconsistent income data and would review the full master lease and submitted materials before issuing its decision.
