Waukesha council approves plan change to allow residential reuse of former UWM campus

The Waukesha Common Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a comprehensive-plan amendment to change the 75.9-acre University of Wisconsin'Waukesha campus site from institutional to a "mixed residential" land-use category, clearing the way for future rezoning and developer proposals.

Doug, a city community development staff member, told the council the site sits south of Northview Road and north of Summit Avenue along University Avenue and is owned by Waukesha County. "After all of our studies, it was decided a residential use would be the most appropriate for the property," Doug said during a presentation to the council.

The amendment does not itself rezone the property; rezoning would be a later step requiring separate applications, Plan Commission review and council action. Dale Shaver, a Waukesha County official, told the council the university plans to close the campus in June 2025 and that the county holds a lease with the UW that runs through 2040. Shaver said the county has spent about $11,000,000 on building improvements since 2009 and that preliminary demolition estimates for removing campus buildings are roughly $6,000,000, noting potential state…