County to decide UW site reuse; housing study shows persistent shortages and pressure to build denser units

County staff are evaluating buildings, wetlands, utilities and lease terms at the UW site at 1500 University Drive after the university announced plans to close the campus, redevelopment staff told the Waukesha Redevelopment Authority.

"As you know, UW has decided to close that campus, and that came as quite a surprise to the city and the county," the staff presenter said, describing ongoing technical reviews the county will use to prepare a recommendation to its board later this year. The staff presenter said the county owns the land and buildings and will decide the long‑term direction; the city would become involved only if zoning or reuse decisions require city action.

Nearby residents and property owners urged attention to neighborhood impacts. Alderperson (and meeting chair) said neighbors want redevelopment that "keep[s] the character of the neighborhood," and Eric Sundarce, who identified himself as a property owner on Sunkist, asked that any reuse favor single‑family or low‑density ownership options. "I'd just like to see it stay single families or 2 families or some kind of low density," Sundarce said.

A nearby resident, Maggie Flood, told the authority the site's wetlands and stormwater are a major concern: she described repeated backyard flooding and standing water near sidewalks and said runoff from the soccer fields has caused basement flooding. Staff said the county's technical review is assessing wetlands, water and utility easements as part of its recommendation.

The authority also heard an update on an updated housing study that compares 2019 projections with units built since then. Staff said the revised study still shows a long‑term shortage of housing units: "The thing that hasn't changed is we still have a shortage of housing," the presenter said. Key data presented included a projected population increase of about 15% by 2040, an overall housing vacancy of roughly 2.8% (staff noted a healthy market vacancy is around 5%), and a shifting mix with owner‑occupied units rising from 58.5% in 2019 to 61.8% in 2024.

Staff and members discussed approaches to close the gap. Staff said satisfying the city's need will rely on denser construction and a mix of unit types — rentals, condos and smaller single‑family lots — noting the city has more diverse housing stock than many nearby communities. The presenter also walked through price‑band shortages and argued that building in price points with demand would free up lower‑cost units and increase mobility in the housing market.

Authority members asked for a breakdown of the types of new units (senior, condominium, rental) to better inform constituent conversations; staff said that breakdown appears in the slides and will be circulated on request. The meeting closed with the chair asking staff to share the housing study with members for later reference.

Next steps: county staff will prepare a report and recommendation to the county board later in the year; the redevelopment authority will monitor that process and engage if rezoning or city approvals are needed.