The town has received four more lawsuits from homeowners appealing to the courts recent decisions to leave their property assessments unchanged following initial appeals in March.
A total of 77 property owners appeared before the Board of Assessment Appeals through five hearings in March to make their cases following the Oct. 1, 2016 Grand List valuation.
Of those, 25 saw a reduction in their assessments, ranging from $7,000 to $243,000.
The town earlier this month received one appeal state Superior Court in Stamford, from a Ponus Ridge homeowner. The four new ones are:
Appeals to Court of Town Assessments
| Address | Appeal Filed | Appraisal | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 347 Lukes Wood Road | May 17 | $2,871,400 | $2,009,980 |
| 727 Smith Ridge Road | May 16 | $8,111,500 | $5,678,050 |
| 1208 Smith Ridge Road | May 17 | $2,052,800 | $1,436,960 |
| 725 Oenoke Ridge Road | May 11 | $5,913,300 | $4,139,310 |
Two of the homeowners are represented by attorney Amy Zabetakis of Darien-based Rucci Law Group. According to the appeal, the nearly $5.7 million Smith Ridge Road property’s assessment is “grossly excessive, disproportionate and unlawful.”
The town now is working toward what’s known as a “statistical revaluation” of real property in New Canaan for Oct. 1, 2018. It means that, rather than entering residents’ properties to help determine home values—an expensive and time-consuming process that’s required by state law every 10 years—the assessor’s work involves studying home sales, market trends and permits issued for new construction in New Canaan.