THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 26, 1995 TAG: 9504260469
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CURRITUCK LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
The developer of Corolla Light contended Tuesday that recreational and utility plots in his resort community - plots that Currituck County officials said had been improperly exempted from property taxes - now have been overvalued.
Appraisals on some of the Outer Banks parcels, with a total value of about $1.7 million, should be much lower since their use is restricted, said Richard A. Brinley, owner of Outer Banks Ventures, Inc.
``I can't sell that, and, therefore, it doesn't have any value,'' Brinley said of 3.09 acres set aside for an emergency well field.
That land, with a $309,000 appraisal, was among five of eight tracts Brinley challenged during Currituck County's annual Board of Equalization and Review hearing.
The others included:
Tennis courts and a parking area along N.C. 12 that were assessed for the first time at $371,535.
A grass miniature golf course on a drain field and nearby pro shop and parking lot, with a combined assessment of $393,093.
Almost 5 acres east of N.C. 12 devoted to the upscale development's wastewater treatment plant. It was appraised at $488,000.
Brinley and his stepson, Richard Willis, did not contest three other properties added to the tax books this year.
Some 5.2 acres for a water treatment plant and another 1.74 acres of open space were given nominal assessments of $500 each to be placed on the county's tax books.
The developers did not challenge a $149,618 appraisal for a sound-front pool and deck area next to Bell Tower Station, which is used as an inn.
None of the properties had been taxed until this year, despite being privately owned by the developer. State law requires tax exemptions to be granted only to recreational and open land belonging to homeowners associations.
Last year, a former Corolla Light manager filed an appeal for tax relief on behalf of about 60 property owners. Since the original filing, more than twice that number have signed on, he said.
David Holton claimed at a February hearing that Corolla Light property owners were overcharged to pay for tax-exempt areas in their subdivision.
Holton had asked that each property owner be refunded $1,086 and have his or her 1995 assessment reduced by $15,000. The Currituck County Board of Commissioners unanimously rejected the request.
Around the time of the hearing, however, the Currituck County Tax Department began re-examining open space and common properties within private subdivisions.
County officials have admitted they made a mistake when a 1989 Board of Equalization and Review granted Outer Banks Ventures, Inc., tax exemption on some common properties.
To be granted an exemption, a property must be owned by a homeowners association. At Corolla Light, the developer still held the title to the questioned parcels.
Brinley said Tuesday that some properties have since been deeded over to the Corolla Light Community Association. Other pieces - including those challenged Tuesday - remain his property.
``Until you've absolutely finished with what you're going to do, it is not wise to do that,'' Brinley said of turning over land titles to property owners.
Tuesday's board, which included Commissioners Ernie Bowden, Gene Gregory and Owen Etheridge, planned to review the appeal with County Attorney William Romm and report its findings within a month.
Twenty-two other taxpayers had been scheduled to appear before the board, but many did not show up Tuesday. by CNB