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County study recommends demolition and housing reuse for former UW campus at 1500 University Drive
Summary
City staff reviewed a county study finding the former UW‑Milwaukee/Mark Sharp campus is best redeveloped as mixed residential rather than adaptive reuse; staff said the county expects to market the land in early 2025, will seek a land‑use amendment to residential, and warned stormwater and soils could constrain unit counts.
Staff presented a county‑led study on Oct. 21 recommending demolition of the former UW‑Milwaukee/Mark Sharp campus at 1500 University Drive and redevelopment of the site for mixed residential uses.
"Basically, this is 75 acres. About 71 of it is actually developable," a staff member said, noting wetlands and utility easements. Staff described the buildings as well maintained but warned that a central HVAC plant serving multiple buildings makes partial retention costly. Consultants and developers interviewed during the study generally concluded that converting the existing higher‑education buildings to other uses was usually more expensive than demolition and rebuilding.
Developers told staff the parcel is a strong housing site but not well suited to office or industrial uses; several said a multifamily component is required for financial feasibility and that a mix of multifamily, two‑family/townhomes and single‑family would likely be proposed. Staff cited a placeholder estimate in the low‑to‑mid hundreds of units and provided a county financial model showing a $200 million project could generate about $1.7 million in gross tax revenue for the city, though levy limits would reduce the city’s realized levy capacity.
Staff reviewed affordability data from the city’s housing study and said demand is strongest at higher ownership and rental income brackets (roughly $75,000–$150,000 household income). The county estimated the city’s housing shortage at a little over 700 units (2023 data) and said a redevelopment of this scale could make a significant contribution to that gap.
Next steps, staff said, include a land‑use plan amendment (changing the site from institutional to residential) proposed to the city before the county solicits developer proposals; staff said marketing and solicitation materials are expected in the first quarter of 2025. Members raised concerns about traffic, stormwater retention on the southern parcel and the potential loss of existing recreational uses such as leased soccer fields; staff said those issues will be evaluated during developer proposals and the city’s standard planning and permitting process.
On a related parcel, staff described the Navistar/general‑castings site as heavily contaminated and said Department of Natural Resources cleanup work and DNR recommendations will drive timing and permitted land uses for that property.
The Redevelopment Authority expressed general support for mixed residential reuse and offered comments and neighborhood concerns for staff to pass on to county planners.
