Weiner v. Board of Assessors of Town of Harrison

22 Misc. 3d 257
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 16, 2008
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 22 Misc. 3d 257 (Weiner v. Board of Assessors of Town of Harrison) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Weiner v. Board of Assessors of Town of Harrison, 22 Misc. 3d 257 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2008).

Opinion

[258]*258OPINION OF THE COURT

John R. LaCava, J.

The petitioners, David Weiner and Jennifer Philips, are the owners of property known as and located at 39 Winfield Avenue, Harrison, New York, which property is identified on the tax map of the Town/Village of Harrison (respondent Town) as block 482, lot 76 (the subject property). In or about 1964, the subject property, a one-acre parcel, was improved by the addition of a 3,600 square foot, five bedroom, five bathroom single-family home. For the tax years 2000 and 2001, the property was assessed at $21,800.

In 2001, a sale of the premises was completed for $806,000. In late 2001, the then-owners of the premises, Robert and Joan Balkind, commenced a construction project. Their building permit application projected $300,000 in construction costs, and described the work to be commenced as “Additions and Alterations” of the premises. For the tax year 2002, upon an estimate by the Town Assessor of the completion of 40% to 50% of the project, the property assessment was raised to $26,200. A certificate of occupancy for the premises, listing the same type of work, was issued in April 2003, and, one month later, a sale of the premises from 39 Winfield Associates, LLC to the petitioners was completed for a sale price of $2,875,000. For the 2003 tax year, the assessment was then increased by nearly double, to the sum of $52,700, where it has remained to date.

After he was notified by the Town’s building department that a permit had been granted for the construction, respondent Assessor inspected the property in May 2002. He evaluated the status of construction, the quality of the work, and the nature of materials used. He also noted that the previously-existing home had been replaced by a new and greatly expanded structure, which retained only the foundation of the previous house, but which had been expanded to meet the larger footprint of the new structure. Additionally, he noticed that portions of two walls of the original home were left standing, but were re-framed in order to be raised to the intended new height of the replacement house. He then, in recognition of what appeared to him to be new construction, and the fact that the property was then only, in his opinion, approximately 40% to 50% complete, established a partial increase in the assessment for the 2002 assessment roll based on its market value and the apparent degree of completion.

In April 2003, after a certificate of occupancy had been issued for the premises, respondent Assessor revisited the property. He [259]*259determined that construction was completed and, considering the current market value of the newly renovated property calculated its full market value before establishing an increased assessment for the 2003 roll as indicated above.

The parties do not disagree as to the size and configuration of the replacement home. The original 3,600 square foot structure was demolished and removed, except for the foundation and portions of two of the original walls, which were left standing to be utilized in connection with the new house. The replacement home unquestionably expanded the original footprint by more than doubling the dimensions from 3,600 to 7,800 square feet. In construction, all new studs and framing, new plumbing, electric fixtures, sheetrock, windows, doors, fireplaces, etc. were incorporated. Ceilings were raised from 8 feet to a height of 9 and 10 feet; an additional full size bathroom was created; garage space was expanded from two to three cars; and the square footage of the second story was greatly expanded. In addition, the renovations included a “state of the art” custom kitchen, which included a huge island for seating and serving, and a butler’s pantry.

Petitioners subsequently filed a grievance with the Town Board of Assessment Review. This grievance was denied and petitioners filed the instant 2006 petition. Petitioners similarly, and with a similar lack of success, grieved the 2007 assessment, and then filed the instant 2007 petition.

Petitioners now seek an order granting partial summary judgment pursuant to CPLR 3212, finding that the subject property was selectively, and thus improperly and unlawfully, assessed by the respondents, and setting the current assessment at the amount of the previous assessment plus the equalized value of the improvements. Petitioners argue that any assessment may only take into account the value of new improvements to the subject premises, citing to Matter of Stern v Assessor of City of Rye (268 AD2d 482 [2d Dept 2000]).

Respondents move likewise for summary judgment pursuant to CPLR 3212, arguing that, inter alla, this court’s decision in Matter of Young v Town of Bedford (9 Misc 3d 1107[A], 2005 NY Slip Op 51444[U] [Sup Ct, Westchester County 2005, Dickerson, J.], affd 37 AD3d 729 [2d Dept 2007]) controls.

Discussion of Selective Assessment Cases

In Young v Town of Bedford (supra), petitioner built five large homes on a previously-owned unimproved parcel; four of the [260]*260five homes were sold, while petitioners kept the fifth home as their own. Young argued that the house was valued based on the assessor’s determination of the current market value of the property, rather than a determination of the contributory value added by the improvements. The former, Young asserted, was selective reassessment. The respondent argued that the parcel was reassessed due to its conversion from an unimproved to an improved state, by assigning a value representing the improvement component of the property’s assessed valuation, and adding to this the previous land assessment.

This court held that, when the Youngs completed their new home, the property was “converted from raw land to an improved state (bringing about) a fundamental change in its character . . . and value (requiring) a new assessment” (2005 NY Slip Op 51444[U], *7). During the building process the Assessor conducted

“ ‘multiple inspections of the property . . . Took measurements, observed the physical extent of the construction; evaluated the quality of such construction; estimated the cost of materials and labor related to the improvements; and estimated the price of said improvements. Relying upon (his) knowledge and experience (he) performed a series of computations as to multiple components of the improvements (relying upon) the 1974 Appraisal Manual prepared by Cole, Layer & Trumble that performed the 1974 revaluation for the Town of Bedford.’ The Assessors’ computations were set forth on the subject property’s assessment card and ‘resulted in an improvement component of the total assessment of $193,000.’ ” (2005 NY Slip Op 51444[U], *7-8.)

In analyzing the selective reassessment argument by petitioner in Young, the court focused on the allegation that reassessments based on more than the value of subsequent improvements to an existing structure might involve selective reassessment.

In, for example, Matter of Stern v Assessor of City of Rye (at 483), the Second Department noted “reassessment upon improvement is not illegal in and of itself.” In Stern,

“the petitioners’ properties were reassessed after recent improvements. However, rather than adding the value of the improvements to the prior assessment . . . the properties were reassessed to a comparable market value that included the value of the [261]*261improvements ....

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Related

Weiner v. Board of Assessors
69 A.D.3d 949 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2010)

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Bluebook (online)
22 Misc. 3d 257, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weiner-v-board-of-assessors-of-town-of-harrison-nysupct-2008.