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Pewaukee Board of Review Upholds Assessor's Valuation for Parkside Road Lot
Summary
Homeowners argued the city's uniform per-front-foot lake valuations ignored lot depth and buildability differences; the board found the assessor's comparable sales and adjustments sufficient and sustained the aggregate assessed value.
The City of Pewaukee Board of Review on Friday upheld the assessor's 2025 valuation for a Parkside Road lake lot after homeowners argued the appraisal overvalued their property. Homeowners Bridal Haves and Carrie Clark said the lot's limited depth and lack of boathouse or guest-house opportunities make it worth materially less than neighboring parcels assessed at the same land value.
The homeowners told the board they are on fixed incomes and that the assessor used largely uniform front-foot valuations for Parkside properties without applying depth factors. "We don't have enough property to even try to do that," said Bridal Haves, describing a 150-foot depth lot that lacks the buildable area present on nearby double-deep parcels.
The assessor's team presented a mass-appraisal defense: Trevor Land and Brett Tufts explained that lakefront land value in Pewaukee is driven primarily by frontage and view rather than acreage, and that their office adjusts sale prices for condition, boathouses and other features. They displayed a comparable grid of four recent sales on Parkside and nearby Woodland, saying the adjusted comparable values support the aggregate assessment of $883,300.
Board members focused questions on when and how the office applies a depth factor. Assessors said depth adjustments are used only when a lot has an extreme amount of additional depth; otherwise, frontage and view dominate the market for lake properties. The chair reminded the homeowners that under state statute the burden of proof is on the property owner to demonstrate an objective mistake.
After closing testimony and deliberation, a roll-call vote sustained the assessor's valuation; the clerk recorded votes in favor from Miss Robinson, Mister Marlin, Mister Farley, Miss Golombowski and Miss Sazma. The board told the homeowners they would receive a written determination with instructions on how to appeal.
The board's decision rests explicitly on the comparables and on the assessors' adjustments; it did not grant a reduction based on the owners' argument that depth and lack of practical buildable area should reduce land value beyond the assessed adjustments.
