County executive recommends sale of former UW–Milwaukee Washington County campus; executive committee directs negotiations with Ozaukee Christian School
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Summary
After a year-long search for uses and tenants, Washington County executives recommended selling the vacant UW–Milwaukee Washington County campus to Ozaukee Christian School with related land set aside for conservation; the executive committee voted to recommend the county board authorize county staff to negotiate terms.
The Washington County Executive told an Aug. 18 joint meeting of local and county leaders that after more than a year of outreach, two paths have emerged for the vacant University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Washington County campus: a lease large enough to cover operating costs from a national charter operator, or a purchase proposal led by Ozaukee Christian School together with conservation interests for surrounding acreage. County leaders directed staff to negotiate a sale and bring a finalized proposal to the County Board for approval.
County Executive (name given in the meeting) told the committee the building has been largely unused since UW vacated the site June 30, 2024, and the county has been covering annual operating and maintenance costs that he estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. He said an appraisal produced a total property value of about $5 million and that the State of Wisconsin has made a $2 million grant available for closed campus preparation work.
The executive outlined two principal options under consideration. Excel Education, a national charter operator, submitted a proposal framed as a lease that county staff said would bring roughly $700,000–$800,000 annually and would cover operating costs while leaving parts of the facility available for other community uses. Ozaukee Christian School (OCS) submitted a purchase offer of $3 million for the building, parking and certain adjacent areas and a separate conservation group (identified in discussions as CLCF) would seek to acquire and protect additional parcels. Combined, county staff said the OCS/CLCF approach plus the state grant would put about $5 million toward county and city priorities.
Speakers from the county board and city council debated the tradeoffs between waiting for a larger public-sector or regional educational partner, leasing to an operator large enough to be an anchor tenant, or accepting OCS’s purchase offer now. Supervisors and aldermen raised fiscal concerns about continuing to hold an empty building, the cost to demolish the facility if it remains unused, and the practicality of finding a tenant that can match the county’s carrying costs.
Supervisor Kelly described the draft OCS/CLCF transaction as “the dream scenario” that both preserves land and returns funds to local governments. Several county supervisors said they had received constituent input supporting sale to OCS. Other speakers urged protections so the community may continue to use space — for example, theater or gym access — and recommended negotiation of use agreements and reversionary clauses should a private owner later stop using the site for educational or community purposes.
The executive committee passed a motion directing the county executive and staff to continue negotiating with Ozaukee Christian School, with the result to be presented as a recommendation to the County Board for final action. The motion was carried by voice vote.
What happened next: County and city staff will continue negotiations, and the County Board will take a formal vote if staff present a purchase agreement. Committee speakers asked staff to pursue negotiable protections for community access and to account for the $2 million state grant and county expenditures already made toward site maintenance and upgrades.
Why it matters: The campus is a large regional asset — the building totals roughly 200,000 square feet — and has been publicly owned but vacant since UW left. Reusing the property affects county and city budgets (ongoing operating and capital costs), local land conservation priorities, and options for regional education providers.
