Here's a link to the Alton section of Vision Appraisal's website:
Looking at the assessed tax base for Mr. Bahre (Robert) shows that currently he has nearly $20 Million (let's put in the zeros), that is to say
$20,000,000.00, in assessed property. That doesn't include the parcel(s) where Hannaford is going in.
Also, look at the values for young Mr. Bahre (Gary) and see he has approximately $12,000,000.00 assessed value property.
Take the proposed square footage of the building, place a really high custom built cost-per-square-foot value in, do the simple multiplication (with a calculator that has at least 8 characters, better to have 10, and safest to have 12!
), and see what additional tax assessment this gentleman will generate.
And remember, the structure will not look like the two story gambrel garage(s) we see around town, that have been there for 5 years, and have been wrapped in Tyvek...how do we know that, it isn't on the appraisal...'cause they never finished the outside, no cedar shakes, no clapboards.
I would anticipate that when finished, you would not recognize the garage as being such, and given the grand size of the estate, the building will fit nicely into the rest of the estate.