2nd Suit Filed Over Harbor Road House

The owners of a waterfront house on Harbor Road who sued the town's Historic District Commission in March for denying their request to demolish and rebuild it are now suing over its assessment.

The 935 Harbor Road house, the focus of significant neighborhood attention, was assessed after the townwide revaluation at $4.289 million, but the town's Board of Assessment Appeals reduced it to $4.13 million on April 26. The suit filed by owners of the home challenges the Board of Assessment Appeals' decision.

A limited liability company that lists Judith C. Urquhart as a principal and member bought the house for $5.9 million in June, but John Fallon, the LLC's attorney, told the Historic District Commission in March that Urquhart can't renovate the house because it would have to comply with current Federal Emergency Management Agency regulations, which would require that the basement be filled and utilities be moved upstairs. Judith and Alex Urquhart, who live on Hulls Farm Road, wanted to demolish and rebuild the house, but the commission rejected their request after significant neighborhood opposition.

In the new suit, Fallon contends the $4.13 million assessment is too high. An assessment is 70 percent of a property's appraised value. Seventy percent of the June 15 sales price is $4.13 million.