Board reviews RWSA‑leased Buck Mountain parcels; assessment adjustments upheld, motion to inform assessment approved

The Albemarle County Board of Equalization heard a multi‑hour appeal from a lessee, Samuel Miller, represented by Bob Beard, challenging assessments for three parcels leased from RWSA in the Buck Mountain watershed. The dispute centered on whether parcels should remain in lower residual‑acreage categories (RS2/RS3) or be reclassified as RS1 and then reduced for lack of access and restrictive easements.

Miller and his representative argued the parcels are effectively landlocked and subject to restrictive easements that bar surface disturbance, limiting marketability. They presented a private appraisal study and sales comparisons they said support a larger access adjustment than the assessor applied. Miller’s materials showed prior assessed values, reclassification effects and proposed multipliers: he suggested an access multiplier around 0.438 (roughly a 56% reduction) and pointed to a peer sale in…