On July 9th, 2024, District 1 City Plan Commissioner Christian Chernock protested the tax appraisal for eight of the properties on N. Boulevard Terrace. Above is a snippet of the audio transcript from the hearing before the Appraisal Review Board for 845 N. Boulevard Terrace — a 1 acre creek-side lot with an adjacent $3M city-funded bridge to Plymouth Rd. The Appraisal District estimated the value of the property at over $700K but he argued that the property was essentially worthless.
At the same time that he argued under oath that his property was worthless and that no investor , homeowner, or bank would ever provide funds for a development on this raw land, he had an active zoning case on the same property. On May 23, 2024 the developer filed a zoning case requesting a change from R-75 (single-family) to a MF-2 for a multi-family development. Below you can see his plan to build a 100-unit apartment complex.
How could anyone believe that the value of that land could be considered worthless and not worthy of obtaining funding for future development. If that was the case, why would Chernock, who is a real estate developer, own this and other adjacent property in the first place. Using a conservative value of $150K to $200K per unit, a 100-unit apartment complex would conservatively be worth $15-$20 Million dollars. That certainly DOES NOT sound worthless.
A city planning commissioner, like any public official, should not lie or engage in dishonest behavior, including when it comes to tax assessments. Ethics and transparency are key principles for public servants. Lying on tax assessments or manipulating financial documents for personal gain or to benefit others would be both unethical and illegal.
Unethical behavior by Christian Chernock — an appointed official — raises some serious questions about the judgment and values of the person who appointed them. Council Member Chad West has an ethical duty to ensure his appointees are people of integrity and that they will act in the public’s best interests. He should evaluate the potential conflicts of interest, backgrounds, and ethical behavior of candidates before making an appointment.
As an elected official, Chad West should be held to the highest standards and serve as a role model. Appointing Christian Chernock who clearly has questionable ethics suggests that Chad West himself either lacks high ethical standards or is willing to turn a blind eye to misconduct and corruption for political gain.
