Waukesha Board of Review upholds assessor valuation for East Moreland Honda dealership

The City of Waukesha Board of Review upheld the assessor's valuation for the Wild Family property at 1603 East Moreland Boulevard, finding the assessor's sales-comparison evidence more persuasive than the objector's cost-based analysis.

The decision came July 29 during the City of Waukesha Board of Review meeting. Christy D'Angelo, chair of the Board of Review, presided. The board sustained the assessor's valuation by majority roll call under Wisconsin Statute 70.47(9)(a). Board members Eric Dunst and Sarah Roth joined D'Angelo in voting to sustain the assessment.

The property owner (agent Wayne Tannenbaum) sought a revised total assessed value of $5,300,000, arguing the county’s improvement values were overstated and presenting a cost approach and land comparables. The agent told the board the dealership building had limited recent remodeling and submitted Marshall & Swift cost factors and several land comparables to support a lower improvement and total value.

City Assessor Laurie (Lori) Swarden presented the assessor's analysis, saying local and out‑of‑area sales comparables and third‑party analytics (CoStar) supported the assessor’s figure; the assessor's adjusted sales-comparison analysis produced a value the assessor maintained at approximately $5,984,000 in her presentation. Swarden also explained the assessor’s record splits the parcel into multiple functional components (showroom, repair bay, car wash) and that a cost methodology in the assessor's system was present but not relied on as the primary valuation method for this property.

In deliberations board members noted the difficulty of valuing auto dealerships because many reported sales include personal property or franchise values and comparables are limited. The board concluded the assessor’s sales comparables and analysis were the most credible evidence on the record and that the Wild Family agent had not rebutted the statutory presumption of correctness accorded to the assessor.

The board’s written findings cite Wisconsin Statute 70.47(9)(a) and the Wisconsin Property Assessment Manual in support of the decision. The assessor will mail appeal information to the property owner.