Allgeier Company has been involved in a wide variety of cases involving involuntary takings and our clients have come from both sides of the issue. Whether representing the TVA in takings for power line easements, the National Park Service in land acquisition, or industrial property owners faced with airport expansion plans, we judge each property on its own merits in accordance with accepted appraisal principals and procedures. Whether for condemner or property owner, given the same set of assumptions our opinion of value is the same, leading to an excellent track record in terms of negotiated settlements based on our appraisals.
In many cases, appraisal and reporting under eminent domain are held to a different standard than those performed for most other purposes due to the requirement of compliance with the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions (commonly known as the Yellow Book). All partners have taken appropriate coursework necessary to an understanding of these particular requirements and have experience in the application of same.
Relatively unique aspects relate to assignments under the premise of Yellow Book compliance. Separate legal parcels may be aggregated and considered as one “larger parcel” when the owner establishes a reasonable probability that all of the contiguous commonly owned lots will be available for development or use as an integrated economic unit in the reasonably foreseeable future. The diminishment of property rights, whether due to easement or in fee, may or may not have a direct impact on the value of the remainder. If the taking was for the installation of infrastructure, the physical improvements to the parcel taken must be considered insofar as their impact on the value of the remainder is concerned.