Business groups urge selling County Grounds land to UWM

Two Wauwatosa-based business groups with more than 300 member organizations have sent a letter to the Milwaukee County Board urging its members to authorize selling 89 acres of the County Grounds to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to develop an engineering and applied sciences school, as well as research and private facilities.

The West Suburban Chamber of Commerce and Wauwatosa Economic Development Corp. cited their expectation that the campus would attract highly skilled professionals to the area, allow local businesses to partner on research efforts and provide money for the tax base from the private development.

The groups also urged preservation of the historic Eschweiler buildings and suggested the UWM Foundation enter into a protective covenant or other legally binding agreement to preserve the monarch butterfly habitat.

The county board's Economic and Community Development Committee is expected to vote on the proposed land sale May 11.