Waukesha County announced Sept. 22 that its board approved an ordinance authorizing the sale of the former UWM-Waukesha campus at 1500 N. University Drive, clearing the way for a redevelopment that would include roughly 70 single-family homes and about 600 market-rate multifamily units, for approximately 670 housing units total, on the 76-acre site. The property has sat largely dormant since the campus closed in May 2025 after six decades of operation.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the deal will hand the property over to F Street, a Milwaukee-based real estate and investment firm developing the project alongside Waukesha County and the City of Waukesha. Of the 76 acres, about 71 are considered developable, and the project is expected to be built in phases, with campus demolition potentially beginning in early 2027 and initial housing phases following by late 2027, pending further approvals. The same report notes the redevelopment is projected to add more than $150 million to Waukesha's tax base.
UWM officials announced back in 2024 that the campus would shut its doors after the spring 2025 semester, a decision tied to a steep enrollment slide. Student enrollment at UWM-Waukesha fell 70% over the preceding decade, according to WUWM.
Why the County Moved Fast on Redevelopment
Waukesha County has owned the land since March 1965, when it purchased the site from William J. and Blanche Hughes before entering a long-term lease with the University of Wisconsin System Regents that was set to run through 2040, according to Waukesha County. The county retained ownership of the land and responsibility for the facilities during the university's tenure.
The Journal Sentinel reports that the existing campus buildings were obsolete, too costly to maintain, and unlikely to fit into future uses, which helped drive the push toward demolition and new construction. State law funding is expected to help pay for those demolition costs; under Wisconsin law, counties that owned now-closed UW branch campuses can apply for up to $2 million in state grants to assist with redevelopment and transition expenses, per the Wisconsin State Journal.
Waukesha isn't alone in this predicament. As of August 2026, seven Universities of Wisconsin branch campuses had closed, two had downsized, and five remained open. Several counties are now working through similar conversions of former campus land into housing, civic space, or private development.
Design Plans Shaped by Local Feedback
Dale Shaver said the master plan prioritized land compatibility, mixed residential use, neighborhood feedback, open space, and connectivity to fit the surrounding area, per the Journal Sentinel. RINKA, the architecture firm behind the plan, designed multifamily buildings to include two-story garden-style structures alongside three- to four-story apartments, with woven green space, trails, and open areas threaded throughout the site.
F Street has taken this approach before. The firm, led by founder Scott Lurie, previously worked with RINKA on a 106-unit garden-style apartment development in West Bend, according to the City of West Bend.
Housing Plans Aim to Meet Local Demand
Jennifer Andrews said the balanced mix of single-family and multifamily units meets documented housing demand and fits the surrounding neighborhoods, the Journal Sentinel reports.
Waukesha's Common Council redesignated the property from civic institutional to mixed-use residential in 2025, a shift that allows a variety of housing types to be built on the site. County officials worked with the City of Waukesha and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation partners to shape the plan. The project will next move to the City of Waukesha Plan Commission before heading to the Common Council for further review.
Higher Education Options Remain Nearby
UWM and Waukesha County Technical College have planned a University Center partnership to expand access to bachelor's degrees in Waukesha County, according to UW-Milwaukee.
