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Pewaukee board accepts assessor's negotiated reduction after wetlands discussion
Summary
After the owner presented developer maps and raised wetlands and sewer constraints, the City of Pewaukee assessor and property owner agreed to reclassify two acres as undeveloped, reducing the assessed value from $436,400 to $398,900; the board voted unanimously to accept the stipulation.
The City of Pewaukee Board of Review approved a negotiated reduction in the assessed value of the parcel at N21 W25195 (tax key PWC0945999002) owned by Genevieve Grama. The assessor had set the 2025 assessment at $436,400; the owner's opinion of value was $296,600 and she presented engineering plats and developer materials she said showed significant wetlands and limited developability in the back of the parcel.
During testimony the owner and a family representative described earlier (2018) developer reviews and a trio engineering plat indicating large wet areas and developer reluctance to make an offer because of wetland constraints. The assessor displayed Waukesha County GIS and DNR surface-water mapping and said county records did not show a floodplain or broad wetland coverage on the property, though developer maps showed locations where a future retention pond might be placed if the site were developed.
After a 20-minute recess to review maps with planning staff, assessor Trevor Land reported an agreement with the owner to classify two acres as undeveloped (a Department of Revenue classification related to wetlands/undeveloped land) and to reduce the assessed land value by $37,500, lowering the total assessed value to $398,900. A board motion to accept the stipulation passed unanimously. The clerk will update the assessment roll and send the owner a notice of determination.
The discussion centered on reconciling developer-provided maps and local recollections of historically wet ground with county GIS and surface-water data. The stipulated reduction resolved the appeal without a formal finding that the parcel is a mapped wetland; it reflects a negotiated classification and adjustment accepted by both the assessor and property owner.
