Seaboard Landing, LLC v. Borough of Penns Grove

28 N.J. Tax 607
CourtNew Jersey Tax Court
DecidedDecember 3, 2015
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 28 N.J. Tax 607 (Seaboard Landing, LLC v. Borough of Penns Grove) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Seaboard Landing, LLC v. Borough of Penns Grove, 28 N.J. Tax 607 (N.J. Super. Ct. 2015).

Opinion

DeALMEIDA, P.J.T.C.

This is the court’s opinion with respect to plaintiff Seaboard Landing, LLC’s (“Seaboard”) request for relief pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:51A-8, commonly known as the Freeze Act. Specifically, Seaboard requests entry of Judgments reducing the assessments on the subject property for tax years 2009, 2010 and 2013. For the reasons more fully explained below, the court concludes that Seaboard is entitled to Freeze Act relief for tax year 2013. The court also concludes, however, that Freeze Act relief is not authorized for tax years 2009 and 2010 and that neither the square corners doctrine nor the Uniformity Clause of the State Constitution require that Freeze Act relief be granted for those tax years.

I. Findings of Fact and Procedural History

The following findings of fact are based on the evidence and testimony adduced at trial and submitted with respect to Seaboard’s application for Freeze Act relief.

The subject property consists of 10.542 vacant acres along the Delaware River at the end of West Main Street in defendant Penns Grove Borough, Salem County. The property is designated in the records of the municipality as Block 57, Lot 1 (the “subject property”).

From 2000 to 2007, the property was owned by Fenwick Commons, LLC (“Fenwick”), which obtained the property, along with several other parcels of vacant waterfront land and riparian rights, with the intention of developing “The Riverwalk at Penns Grove,” a 191,000-square-foot, riverfront entertainment center with retail, dining, hotel and marina facilities. The proposed project included a 30 feet by 770 feet walkway along the Delaware River secured by a decorative bulkhead. The walkway was intended to accommodate ear shows, craft shows and public gatherings, complement [611]*611the proposed commercial buildings, and provide public access to the waterfront. The bulkhead both supports the walkway and protects the upland parcel from the river.

During construction of the bulkhead and walkway, Seaboard purchased the subject property and development rights from Fenwick. As of November 1, 2007, construction of the bulkhead and walkway was complete.1

On or about October 10, 2008, the municipal tax assessor issued added assessments for Block 57, Lot 1 in the amount of $1,250,000 attributable to the improvements. One added assessment was prorated for the last two months of tax year 2007 ($208,333) and the other applied for the entire tax year 2008 ($1,250,000).2

The Chapter 123 average ratio for the municipality for tax year 2007 is 60.71. When the average ratio is applied to the omitted added assessment, the implied equalized value of the full omitted added assessment for tax year 2007 is $2,058,969. The implied equalized value of the two-month prorated assessment for 2007 is $343,162.

The Chapter 123 average ratio for the municipality for tax year 2008 is 54.00. When the average ratio is applied to the omitted added assessment, the implied equalized value of the omitted added assessment for tax year 2008 is $2,314,815.

Prior to December 1, 2008, Seaboard filed an appeal of the added assessments with the Salem County Board of Taxation. The county board dismissed the appeals because Seaboard had not paid the taxes attributable to the omitted added assessments.

On January 12, 2009, Seaboard filed two Complaints in this court, one challenging the two-month, pro-rated omitted added [612]*612assessment for tax year 2007 and one challenging the omitted added assessment for tax year 2008.3

A districtwide revaluation was implemented in the municipality for tax year 2009. For that tax year, the subject property was assessed as follows:

Land $2,113,100
Improvements $1,250,000
Total $3,363,100

Seaboard did not file an appeal of the 2009 assessment.

The assessment set during the 2009 revaluation remained on the subject property for tax year 2010. Seaboard filed an appeal of the 2010 assessment with the county board of taxation. The county board, at Seaboard’s request, entered Judgment dismissing the appeal without prejudice. In a letter to the county board, Seaboard’s counsel represented that Seaboard intended to appeal the dismissal without prejudice to this court so that the tax year 2010 appeal could be joined with the pending appeals concerning the omitted added assessments. However, no Complaint challenging the 2010 assessment was filed with this court.

For tax year 2011, the subject property remained assessed at $3,363,100. The Chapter 123 average ratio for the municipality for tax year 2011 is 98.69. When the average ratio is applied to the assessment, the implied equalized value of the subject property for tax year 2011 is $3,407,741.

On March 31, 2011, Seaboard filed a Complaint challenging the 2011 assessment.

[613]*613For tax year 2012, the property remained assessed at $3,363,100. The Chapter 123 average ratio for the municipality for tax year 2012 is 100.87%.

Seaboard challenged the 2012 assessment before the county board, which affirmed the assessment in a Judgment issued on May 30, 2012.

On June 8, 2012, Seaboard filed a Complaint in this court challenging the county board Judgment with respect to tax year 2012.4

For tax year 2013, the subject property remained assessed at $3,363,100. The Chapter 123 average ratio for the municipality for tax year 2013 is 103.39%.

Seaboard challenged the 2013 assessment before the county board of taxation. The board subsequently dismissed the appeal for failure to pay taxes. See N.J.S.A. 54:3-27.

On July 3, 2013, Seaboard filed a Complaint in this court challenging the county board Judgment with respect to tax year 2013. On August 22, 2014, after issuing a bench opinion, the court granted the municipality’s motion to dismiss the 2013 Complaint for failure to pay taxes pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:51A-1(b). An appeal of the court’s Judgment with respect to tax year 2013 is pending in the Superior Court, Appellate Division.

[614]*614On June 15, 2015, the court held a trial with respect to Seaboard’s challenges to the prorated two-month omitted added assessment for 2007, the full-year omitted added assessment for tax year 2008, and the assessments for tax years 2011 and 2012.

Each party presented a licensed real estate appraiser as an expert witness at trial. Seaboard’s expert offered the opinion that the subject property, including both the vacant land, the walkway and the bulkhead, had a true market value of $876,000 as of October 1, 2011, the valuation date for tax year 2012. He offered no detailed analysis of the true market value of the subject property as of the November 1, 2007 date of the completion of the improvements for purposes of the omitted added assessments or as of October 1, 2010, the valuation date for tax year 2011. The totality of his written analysis for those years was as follows:

We note that we have been asked to comment on the value under appeal for prior years, including 2008, 2009 and 2011. It would be our opinion that the value conclusion would be the same for these prior years in question.

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28 N.J. Tax 607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seaboard-landing-llc-v-borough-of-penns-grove-njtaxct-2015.