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Board of Review sustains Waukesha assessment for 400 Southwest Ave after owner’s challenge
Summary
The Waukesha Board of Review heard an objection from owner Christian R. Lavanca over a $492,000 assessment for 400 Southwest Ave and concluded the assessor's sales‑comparables and adjustments supported the roll value, sustaining the assessor's valuation by roll‑call vote.
The Waukesha City Board of Review on July 22 heard testimony from Christian R. Lavanca, who asked the panel to reduce the 2025 assessment on 400 Southwest Avenue to $325,000, citing recent sales and the building's challenging layout.
Lavanca, who said he has worked as a commercial broker for nearly a decade, described the building as built circa 1984 with limited windows, no drive‑in door and no sprinkler system, and told the board, “Valuation for my property, legitimately for what it is currently is 3.25, dollars 325,000.” The owner offered to provide financials and questioned the cap rates used in the assessor's analysis.
City assessor Laurie Swornen presented a packet of sales comparables, CoStar analytics and a sale‑based valuation that treated the property as a mix of office and warehouse area; she said sales were the predominant indicator of market value under state guidance. Swornen told the board she had not received the owner's income documentation before the roll closed and that her adjustments for age and quality supported the current total assessment of about $492,000.
After board members reviewed the comparables and asked follow‑up questions about condition and vacancy, the panel concluded the assessor had presented sufficient evidence and that the owner had not provided comparables or analysis to overcome the statutory presumption of correctness. The motion to sustain the assessor's valuation passed on a roll call vote.
