GUILDERLAND — Crossgates Mall responded to Guilderland’s request for financial information the town insisted was necessary to help build its defense in a tax lawsuit filed by the mall, by, first, ignoring it for months, then eventually settling on the argument that the town’s requests for, among other things, tenant rent rolls and an appraisal performed on the property were “overly broad,” “privileged,” and also “publicly available.”

Crossgates Mall filed an Article 7 petition against the town in July of last year seeking a $139.2 million reduction on its $282.5 million tax assessment.

The petition, filed in Albany County Supreme Court by three Crossgates-affiliated limited-liability corporations, argued the mall should receive a near 50-percent drop in its assessed value because, “Prior to the issuance of the Town’s tentative assessment roll for 2020, [Crossgates] provided and offered information to the Town’s Assessor concerning the Property and its value,” its June 2020 court filing stated.??