Syracuse Board of Assessment Review hears multiple appeals over recent assessment increases

The Syracuse Board of Assessment Review met Wednesday, Feb. 5, and heard multiple property owners contest tentative assessed values or classification changes. Petitioners requested reductions or clarification for properties across the city and presented photos, sale comparables and written analyses; assessment staff responded with sales data and procedural context. The board did not issue decisions at the hearing and said it will send formal notices of any outcome in the first week of April.

Mike Maloski appeared to contest the tentative assessment on a two-family house at 163 Rigai Avenue (Tyson Place). The tentative assessed value was listed at $88,000 with a land value of $12,000; Maloski told the board he believes the assessed value should be $70,000 because the downstairs unit has been uninhabitable for about five years after a damaging tenancy and requires substantial renovation. Maloski said the family holds the title through Tyson Management LLC and that he lives in the upstairs two-bedroom unit. Maloski provided interior photos and told the panel he expects to renovate within about 18 months; staff asked for cost estimates and noted the area's strong sales when weighing the claim.

William (Bill) Morris petitioned for a $10,000 reduction on a single-family home at 318 Berkeley Drive, where the city listed a tentative assessed value of $275,000 and the petitioner sought $265,000 (assessed). Morris supplied a spreadsheet and a regression analysis of 20 properties on the block to show his tentative assessment rose above the neighborhood average; assessment staff and Ann Gallagher cited recent sales on Berkeley Drive, larger square footage for Morris’s house (about 3,500–3,600 sq. ft.) and neighborhood market activity as reasons the city is comfortable with the tentative value. Staff also told the petitioner the city expects a full citywide reassessment process to conclude in the 2028 tax year.

Two Windsor Place properties were presented by Kathleen Boudreaux on behalf of owners Carla Diaz and Peter Calvert (123 Windsor Place) and for Ronald and Alice (114 Windsor Place). Boudreaux, a New York State broker and local resident, provided a detailed worksheet comparing lot sizes, land per square foot and building per-square-foot values for dozens of nearby parcels and argued that 123 Windsor’s per-square-foot assessment is above neighborhood averages and should be reduced to the local mean. The board and staff noted economies-of-scale effects on price per square foot for larger houses and said they would review the submitted sales and inventory data.

Michael E. Nedveski (listed in the hearing as the owner at 208 Albert Road) told the board his assessed value rose from about $77,000 to $87,000 and then to $110,000, producing a tax increase from about $2,920 to $3,858 a year. Nedveski told the panel he believes the house’s livable square footage may be smaller than the assessment file shows and asked the board to remeasure; staff agreed to remeasure the dwelling and said they would include comps. Assessment staff also suggested Nedveski check whether he qualifies for additional senior exemptions beyond the STAR program, and directed him to Room 130 for paperwork review.

At 436 Thurber Street, the city had a tentative assessment of $90,000; the petitioner described a modest two-bedroom ranch and noted a nearby property in poorer condition. The assessor present recommended reducing the assessment to roughly $82,000 and the board said it would consider that recommendation along with the city's submitted comparables.

Across the hearing, the assessment office repeatedly told petitioners that the office will re-examine square footage and submitted photos, will review sales comparables, and will consult legal/counsel where policy interpretation is needed. The board scheduled no votes during the Feb. 5 session; staff repeatedly told petitioners they would receive formal notices of any decision in the first week of April.