39 Property Owners Suing Groton Board Over Assessments

Thirty-nine property owners have filed suit against the Groton Board of Assessment Appeals about their assessments from the revaluation last year, according to records provided by the assessor’s office.

Legally, property owners have until June 2 to file a complaint in court against the board if they appealed their assessment and are not satisfied with the result, Town Assessor Mary Gardner said.

As a practical matter, such a complaint must be filed by Friday.

The number of suits filed in New London Superior Court so far, while substantial, is fewer than in previous years during revaluations.

In 2001, 67 property owners filed suit against the Groton board. In 2006, 43 property owners filed lawsuits, Gardner said.

An overwhelming number of the complaints are from property owners in Groton Long Point, where the grand list rose 7.2 percent, records show.

Of the 27 complaints filed about residential properties, 23 are from property owners in Groton Long Point, including 11 from a single street – West Shore Avenue.

The company Tyler/CLT, which handled the revaluation for Groton, looked at property sales from 2009 through September 2011 and visited homes to come up with the residential assessments. Assessments represent 70 percent of a home’s fair market value.

Overall, residential and commercial property values declined during the revaluation. The 2011 Grand List of $3,950,357,940 was $146 million less than it was 2010. Residential assessments dropped nearly 7 percent and commercial property assessments fell more than 10 percent.

Commercial properties with a pending complaint in court are listed below by address, followed by the assessed value:

390 Eastern Point Road: $413,210

396 Eastern Point Road: $119,350

399 Benham Road: $490,490

403 Pleasant Valley Road South: $218,960

551 Route 12: $451,290

1010 Shennecossett Road: $3,722,810

1145 Poquonnock Road: $8,052,730

425 Gold Star Highway: $1,967,210

359 Thames Street: $494,760

0 Antonio Road: $1,184,540

451 Bridge Street: $3,444,350

19 Riverview Avenue: $532,700

Residential properties with a pending complaint in court are listed below by address, followed by the assessed value:

328 West Shore Avenue: $773,920

54 Boardwalk, Groton Long Point: $747,740

120 Cedar Road, Mystic: $959,910

350 West Shore Avenue: $1,251,670

241 West Shore Avenue: $2,089,980

16 Boardwalk: $1,404,760

238 West Shore Avenue: $696,710

316 West Shore Avenue: $784,420

12 Chesbro Avenue: $610,330

66 Boardwalk: $707,070

318 West Shore Avenue: $569,100

336 West Shore Avenue: $592,340

8 Weston Road: $2,688,070

132 Cedar Road, Mystic: $818,510

$156 East Shore Avenue: $1,069,670

232 West Shore Avenue: $802,760

15 Sylvan Street: $273,630

100 Boardwalk: $858,760

380 West Shore Avenue: $2,100,210

271 West Shore Avenue: $546,210

26 Boardwalk: $1,018,360

0 West Shore Avenue: $653,100

35 Atlantic Avenue: $1,626,940

39 Atlantic Avenue: $860,160

5 East Shore Avenue: $957,040

116 East Shore Avenue: $667,170

38 Boardwalk: $778,610