[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6212960,"mediaKeyId","3682740-dbd263cb66d00e3638b4c9b3f9d0f6f3","parentId",3682740,"title","Needham assessors report executive‑session results: one abatement approved, many applications denied","audioSeconds",142,"startMs",2243000,"endMs",2385000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3682740-dbd263cb66d00e3638b4c9b3f9d0f6f3&start=2243&end=2385","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3682740-dbd263cb66d00e3638b4c9b3f9d0f6f3/thumbnail_2243000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6212960/Town-of-Needham/Norfolk-County/Massachusetts/Needham-assessors-report-executivesession-results-one-abatement-approved-many-applications-denied","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212960-608e1599073170450e0467697a766199/orig.mp4?Expires=1771200288&Signature=Jrv0jj8NQjBVskrebLXBD0YTR0RF2H-H3FLhHdUCo7ttowFHzdNkLLlrAlVxts9Y0qfWCED88RVN1lK0kHNny7tBJjGpYqNtAjv-WGDlUbUCaMa6Aet124ZkXlMrGxujT2n4qlUcu06V4O2A2OF-czK71y-0ro5QYbfDVsr1RclmbptFyqEmIy~G7E4Yc2zwAqGgGXIQZyQt9nhHa8fXx-HsP6-TDNleMo0T5-grbK~qNU--LCGI5ML3qc7PmsBBv63cIADZQvHaVrGfvbSqiXAbAiRzlZpPqek6q1IIIhWBIRLDI6mVIZ~kzTomsypb~~lhaGfn8A44tg4johw7Lw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Needham, MA","date","2025-06-05T17:54:39Z","article","After returning from executive session on June 5, the Needham Board of Assessors announced formal actions on a set of exemption and abatement applications.

The board voted to approve an abatement for 18 Brookside Road. The board also announced denials for a group of applications, reaffirmed a prior denial for 283 Chestnut Street, and denied additional addresses including (as read aloud at the meeting) 6 Shady Lane; 501 Pershing Road; 707 Warren Street; 100 Mary Chilton Street; 170 Parish Road; 20 Prospect Street; 807 Greendale; 702 Marshall Street; 1407 Maple Street; 106 Maple Street; 312 Greendale; 404 Glendale Road; and 174 Standish Road.

The board did not provide detailed rationales for each denial during open session; such deliberations and supporting documents are not subject to public inspection while abatement and exemption applications are under consideration, consistent with state confidentiality rules that the board cited. The board indicated these items had been considered in executive session and that results were being reported on the record.

Next meeting: the board scheduled its next regular meeting for Thursday at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned after the roll call of votes was read into the record.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Assessors 06/05/2025","oneSentenceSummary","After an executive session on June 5, the Needham Board of Assessors approved an abatement for 18 Brookside Road and denied or reaffirmed denials for a list of other addresses; the board did not provide further detail in open session about individual denial rationales.","taxTitle","Town of Needham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts","taxId",54445,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6212965,"Homeowners ask Needham assessors to adjust assessed value for wetlands; board cites purchase price and primary‑land rules",516,1280000,1796000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3682740-dbd263cb66d00e3638b4c9b3f9d0f6f3&start=1280&end=1796","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3682740-dbd263cb66d00e3638b4c9b3f9d0f6f3/thumbnail_1280000.jpg","/articles/6212965/Town-of-Needham/Norfolk-County/Massachusetts/Homeowners-ask-Needham-assessors-to-adjust-assessed-value-for-wetlands-board-cites-purchase-price-and-primaryland-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212965-47272511b659d78fa83f36a1f683df58/orig.mp4?Expires=1771200288&Signature=TSgp0OQquwp7jggMqgMnlvkVidO5U1mPdSIkkSDS~fX9wJ9x3OD96M2I22BI~K-pjV7lRNn9I7rVjjU9xuvvL6WS8eY48-wMZtL8BuvcYE4EQ4PSt-WQe6wa-ONbcRMMUaKBNd-oF4ZZjwX-D8b7qXD9ftu56wpWl6wbUZ~fqAUF27SsoZ9hYi-GsJSV8BFKfP60ZhhQ-0UWMPW0sJ7UnnKr4gFTapQBgd7k5MdyCEJ17jYmIRN6JWzFa-PG7n7nQXRXzo6in1qm8crjf8ADNRGyGEG-fli-O-j-Hv6Dc~UBlRMnjlHtA~VViylXU6HuZ7DQiUCGsHODuNmtHLsMhA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Homeowners (identified in the meeting as Mohammed, Parissa and Barna) told the Needham Board of Assessors on June 5 that a significant portion of their property’s backyard is classified as wetland under conservation restrictions and argued the assessment treats that land as fully buildable.

“Although this portion of the land is not usable in a typical residential sense, the current tax assessment treats it as if it’s fully buildable and valuable,” the resident said, asking the board to reconsider their abatement application and adjust the assessed value to reflect usability.

The board noted the most recent sale price is a principal market indicator for residential valuation. Board chair John Bullion and staff observed that the owners paid about $2,050,000 in January 2022 and that the current assessed value on the card is about $2.119 million. “The sale sets the value,” Bullion said, citing the willing‑buyer/willing‑seller principle the assessors use.

Staff explained how the town applies “primary” and “residual” land pricing. Julie said that for the relevant neighborhood the primary land amount is an acre (43,560 square feet) and that residual land beyond the primary parcel is assessed at a substantially lower rate. The homeowners said their total lot is about 45,000 square feet but that wetlands in the rear limit usable area; they asked the board to factor the conservation‑restricted wetlands into future assessments.

Outcome and next steps: The board reaffirmed the denial of the current abatement application for tax year 2024 based on the recent purchase price and the property card’s valuation but told the owners it will review wetlands mapping and conservation records for future consideration. The board cautioned that any reduction is not guaranteed: “I won’t make any promises right now,” a board member said, while encouraging the homeowners to provide conservation documentation and coordinate with conservation staff.

The board advised the homeowners to check the property card online after the tax billing cycle to see any future adjustments and to contact the assessing office with questions.","Residents told the Needham Board of Assessors that a substantial portion of their backyard is wetland and not buildable; the board said the recent purchase price and the town’s primary/residual land rules support the current assessment but agreed to examine wetlands mapping for future consideration.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6212970,"Needham assessors ask owner to provide commercial leases after 221% land-value increase dispute",1069,168000,1237000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3682740-dbd263cb66d00e3638b4c9b3f9d0f6f3&start=168&end=1237","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3682740-dbd263cb66d00e3638b4c9b3f9d0f6f3/thumbnail_168000.jpg","/articles/6212970/Town-of-Needham/Norfolk-County/Massachusetts/Needham-assessors-ask-owner-to-provide-commercial-leases-after-221-land-value-increase-dispute","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212970-62f7080566e3baf2d00460fdb6a107b1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771200288&Signature=cOt2UzSwsAErKwnFul6pLOr3zwefXPQzIURa1V56on8W3-METOQvCspxdsIYJr4nk8J1alzhKcNFM~7WYJc9Vi3fQ8JibCoGy9l7K5r0tUQLM11bsJwp4dSVaH~SNhHmmu3r~PJ6zv5zhD26svad59P-KtZnG4EBiWUqhd9~aFX9j7pFISf-4mNtcfcpqEyfwVlh0aU9AHigZACOO9I9J1oghfhwh22o4qbB0JWCk94r~bdSZr3JS6fUAxXM5I7f9NRCkuWF8Aqhnvi4XnWeWEKCCXk6j8X5ZT4zImlrpdU2MiKr0NsQjbGknkPl7tVtEkdsIC7leGSnEOVU11roWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nick Capullo, the owner who said he represents a property he identified as 18 Chestnut Street and as being in downtown Needham, told the Needham Board of Assessors on June 5 that the land value on his abatement application jumped 221% — “from $281,900 to $905,500,” he said — and asked the board to reconsider the assessment.

The board’s chair, John Bullion, said the assessors use income-and-expense records to value commercial properties and asked Capullo to provide copies of the leases he used in his abatement filing so staff can re‑review the application. “We will take another look at this ... in the next week or two following when you’re able to get that information to us,” Bullion said.

Why it matters: Capullo said the land increase is inconsistent with the property’s functional limits — he told the board his parcel has about 5,000 square feet and no parking and said zoning would not permit high‑density redevelopment — and that the jump would be inequitable compared with nearby parcels. He said one neighboring property with roughly three times his land area had an assessed land value only about $30,000 higher than his despite greater redevelopment potential.

Board staff explained how commercial values were derived and described recent changes. Julie (assessing department staff) told Capullo the town had not increased values for some time and that the state had provided guidelines that led to higher assessments this cycle: “your value of land is definitely in line with what the market is suggesting as well as what the state is requiring,” she said. The board reiterated that for commercial parcels the assessors allocate a total property value between land and building after deriving a full value from the income-and-expense approach.

Capullo pressed the board about confidentiality of leases; he said many of his tenant agreements contain nondisclosure and no‑recording clauses. Legal counsel (Chris) and staff said materials submitted for abatement review are treated as confidential under the state law provisions that govern abatement and exemption deliberations, and the board offered to reaffirm in writing that information provided for the application will not be subject to public inspection. The board told Capullo the applicant may decline to provide leases, but if leases are not produced the assessors will make a judgment on the existing record and the applicant can appeal to the Appellate Tax Board, where leases would then be required.

The board did not vote on the abatement at the meeting. Action items: Capullo agreed to consult his tenants; the board requested that he provide copies of the leases to Julie for confidential review so staff can reexamine the application. If Capullo does not provide the leases, the current assessment would stand and the owner may appeal to the Appellate Tax Board.","At a June 5 meeting, commercial property owner Nick Capullo challenged a 221% land-value increase on his downtown Needham property and the Board of Assessors requested confidential lease copies to reopen his abatement application; the board detailed the valuation approach and explained appeal options.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Needham assessors report executive‑session results: one abatement approved, many applications denied

Homeowners ask Needham assessors to adjust assessed value for wetlands; board cites purchase price and primary‑land rules

Needham assessors ask owner to provide commercial leases after 221% land-value increase dispute