Waukesha Board of Review upholds assessor valuations for two East Moreland dealerships

The City of Waukesha Board of Review on July 29, 2025 sustained the assessor's valuations for two commercial auto-dealership properties on East Moreland Boulevard after hearings in which the property representatives challenged the county's recent increases.

Chair Christy D'Angelo presided as an agent for the owners presented cost-based valuations and land-comparable analyses arguing that paving depreciation, building condition and atypical dealer-sale factors warranted lower assessments. The agent asked the board to reduce one parcel's assessment to about $5.3 million and criticized recent percentage increases applied by the assessor.

The assessor's office responded with a sales-comparison approach supported by CoStar analytics and a set of local and regional dealership comparables. City staff explained differences in measured finished space and said the assessor relied on sales evidence and standard Marshall & Swift factors where appropriate. Assessor staff also noted certain January 2025 sales that the assessor's office did not give full weight to when preparing the roll for uniformity reasons.

In deliberations board members said they found the assessor's comparable-sales evidence the most credible record for establishing fair market value, citing the assessor's adjustments and the mix of local and out-of-area dealer sales used for comparison. The board then voted by roll call to sustain the assessor's valuations. The board instructed staff to mail appeal information to the objectors with the standard instructions if they wish to pursue further review.

The decisions leave the assessor's roll values in place; the board recorded a majority vote in favor of sustaining the assessor in both dealership appeals.