Brother of homeowner urges 10% downward adjustment to land assessment at 207 Wormwood Road

Conrad Christopher Ledoux, who said he was speaking for his brother Darren, told the Fairfield assessor hearing that the land assessment for 207 Wormwood Road fails to reflect the site’s difficult topography and geology. “It is literally carved into a hill of rock,” Ledoux said, describing broken equipment and foundation footers that had to be fastened into rock during construction.

Ledoux said photographs and the property card in their submission show mostly bedrock on the lot and little usable soil. He said the property has “no basement” and estimated roughly 80% of the backyard is rock, making the parcel less usable for families and unattractive to older buyers.

Ledoux presented neighborhood comparables and asked the panel to consider condition-based adjustments. He pointed to a nearby property at 327 North Benson Road that received a 0.9 condition factor (a 10% downward adjustment) and contrasted that parcel’s land rate, which he said was about $23 per square foot, with his brother’s land value of about $43 per square foot.

“Minimally, we think there should at least be a 10% downward adjustment,” Ledoux said, noting the town’s neighborhood codes place the two lots into adjacent neighborhood areas but argued they are effectively similar in character.

The hearing officer recorded the evidence and photographs and told the appellants the committee will review the file and deliberate. The clerk said appellants should expect a written notice after the committee meets — likely before May 1 — explaining whether the assessor will make no change, a partial reduction, or grant the requested reduction. If the committee does not make an acceptable change, the clerk said appellants have the option to refile next year or to pursue a court appeal.

Why it matters: If the committee accepts a downward condition adjustment it would lower the assessed land value and could reduce the tax bill tied to the property. The appellants’ argument centers on whether field-card condition and comparable adjustments were applied consistently.

Next steps: The appeals committee will review the submitted comparables, photographs and property cards and issue a written decision to the appellants within the timeline the clerk described.