Board of Assessment Appeals hears valuation appeals for dozens of Fairfield properties

The Board of Assessment Appeals met in Room One on March 21, 2026, hearing a long docket of valuation appeals for Fairfield properties. Hearing officer Peter Rupert presided and read each appeal into the record; appellants presented affidavits, appraisals, sales comparables and lease data asking that town valuations be reduced in many cases.

Among the first cases, attorneys for Sea Shell Real Estate LLC asked the board to lower the town’s assessment for 750 Harbor Road to $6,100,000 from the figure recorded in the file. "385 Harbor Road sold for 15 million and it's skewed everybody way up," Robert Russo told the board, arguing the 385 Harbor sale was unique and lifted comparable values across Harbor Road.

Other appellants relied on recent purchase prices and professional appraisals. For 944 Peekquat Avenue, counsel said the clients bought the home in December for $3.75 million and asked the board to set the value there. For several duplexes on Oldfield and South Pine Creek roads, presenters used active leases and a townwide average cap rate of 5.44% to calculate income-based values and argued the current assessments exceed market-supported valuations.

High-value waterfront and hill properties also featured prominently. Appellants for multiple Saskco Hill and Peekquat addresses submitted appraisals by Paul Isola and cited comparable sales and changes in view or lot configuration to support lower assessments or revised appeal figures. At least one appellant pointed to deferred maintenance and recent price reductions as evidence the town’s valuation was overstated compared with the buyer’s recent outlays.

Several small-home appeals emphasized per‑square‑foot disparities. Counsel said modest houses — including one 940‑square‑foot house on Villa Avenue — were valued near half a million dollars by the town despite significantly smaller footprints and inferior lots compared with nearby sales.

Many appellants asked the board to consider lease records, photos, and multiple appraisal reports in lieu of formal appraisals; a few cases combined several related properties and referenced the same supporting evidence. No formal votes or board decisions were recorded in the transcript excerpt provided; the hearing concluded after the docketed appeals were presented.

The Board of Assessment Appeals did not render decisions on the record in the portion of the hearing captured here; the hearing was closed after the last docketed appeal.