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Arlington BOE upholds county land rates for 1401 Wilson (office) and 1400 Key (multifamily) after appellants challenge sales methodology
Summary
The Board of Equalization on June 24 confirmed county assessments for the office parcel at 1401 Wilson Boulevard ($31,449,100) and the apartment parcel at 1400 Key Boulevard ($24,37,500) after appellants argued county sales-selection and adjustment methods artificially inflate land rates.
The Arlington County Board of Equalization on June 24 voted to confirm the county's land assessments for two parcels within the same site plan (site plan 429): the office parcel at 1401 Wilson Boulevard and the multifamily parcel at 1400 Key Boulevard.
Appellant representative Mr. Harmon argued the county's office-land rate (the county used $60 per square foot) does not reflect the post-pandemic decline in office demand. Harmon presented a sales-comparison analysis supporting a claimed office-land rate of $41 per square foot and criticized several sales the county used as either not fair-market transactions or sales more reflective of multifamily redevelopment rather than shovel-ready office land. "This first sale's purchaser was a tenant who wanted control of the property; it was not a fair-market office-land sale," Harmon said during his presentation, urging the board to bifurcate or exclude inapplicable transactions.
County staff (identified in the record as Mr. Chas for the county) said the county's market-land study lists the best available sales and that some properties were re-entitled to multifamily after purchase; the staff also noted the county lowered its office-land rate from $65 to $60 in 2024. Based on available shovel-ready and approved-office sales, the county recommended confirming the office assessment at $31,449,100. Several board members said they understood the appellant's concerns about office weakness but did not have a defensible alternate dollar figure; the board confirmed the county value.
On the multifamily parcel (1400 Key Boulevard), Harmon again challenged the county's sales grid, arguing the county's per-entitled-unit rates omit necessary adjustments for townhome lot value, interim rental income and transfer rights embedded in some sales. Harmon and his counsel presented alternative adjustments they said would substantially reduce the per-entitled-unit rate used by the county. County staff replied that their market-land study used the available sales data as of January 1, 2026 and that some sale properties later received site-plan approvals; staff also said the appellant's proposed adjustments lacked detailed keys or documented rationale in the hearing packet.
The board voted to confirm the county's apartment-parcel assessment at $24,37,500 by a 4-to-1 vote. A board member asked county staff to provide the appellant the methodology documents the appellant requested outside the hearing. The board adjourned at 10:34 a.m.
The decisions leave the county's 2026 land-rate choices in place for the two site-plan parcels. Appellant counsel said he remains concerned the county's sales selections and adjustments do not reflect pandemic-era market shifts for office land and that multifamily entitlement adjustments require careful bifurcation on a per-sale basis.
