St. Camillus in Wauwatosa plans demolitions, new buildings up to 21 floors

Citing growing waiting lists and an increasing demand for specialized memory care, St. Camillus is planning to demolish some of its properties, including five houses, to build new living facilities, with one building proposed at 21 floors.

St. Camillus, at 10100 W. Bluemound Road, is now seeking city approval for the first phase of expansion, which features a four-story building on the northeast end of its land, where there is currently green space, CEO Rick Johnson said.

The Wauwatosa Plan Commission is scheduled to consider the request May 11.

The first phase is estimated to cost about $39 million, out of a total $148 million for the full project. Johnson said St. Camillus has not determined whether it will ask the city for financial assistance. If it did, he said the request would likely be to support underground parking for the first phase of expansion off Wisconsin Avenue.

Focus on memory care

The first new building at St. Camillus would have 48 memory care units for people with Alzheimer's and related conditions, as well as 24 units for seniors who qualify as frail elderly. An attached building sponsored by the Jesuits, also part of the first phase, would offer 50 units specifically for seniors of the Jesuit Order.

If approved by the city, Johnson said St. Camillus hopes to begin construction on this area in the fall, for completion about one year later.

Johnson said St. Camillus determined the need for more housing through a market analysis of the region in a seven-mile radius around the property. They did focus groups with existing residents and residents on the waiting list.

In their application to the city, St. Camillus officials said the need for specialized memory care is "skyrocketing."

"Individuals with dementia fare better in specialized units with specially trained and dedicated staff," officials wrote in the application. "Privacy, dignity, individualized treatment plans, meaningful activity and strong relationships greatly improve memory care patients' outlooks and day-to-day lives."

21-story tower next

After construction of the memory care building, St. Camillus is planning to demolish its four-story Court East building to build a 21-story tower of independent living apartments.

Johnson said residents of the Court East building would move to the new memory care building while the tower is being constructed. He said the tower plans are likely three or four years out.

St. Camillus officials said there is a need not only for more apartments, but also for higher quality living spaces. Court East was built in 1932 as a hospital, so units are smaller with an "institutional look," according to St. Camillus' application to the city.

Also part of the expansion plan is a new "community house" for the priests of the Order of St. Camillus. They currently live in houses owned by St. Camillus, but would prefer to live together, according to St. Camillus' the application. Four homes owned by St. Camillus would be demolished to make way for the new three-story home, at Wisconsin Avenue and 103rd Street.