The Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County completed the purchase of two parcels of land at the Madison College Watertown Campus this past June. Madison College listed an RFP for a Watertown Campus Land Sale in July of 2024.
The Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County submitted a response with their plans and were selected for the sale. The two parcels were just under an acre of land at .80. The land was sold for $116,000.
Madison College Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration Sylvia Ramirez mentioned that the two parcels sold were not contiguous with the rest of the Watertown Campus.
The land was deemed surplus, which was a requirement from the Wisconsin Technical College System. This went through the Madison College Board and then it went to the Technical College System President. From there, the college was able to sell through a competitive process and the Habitat for Humanity was the selected buyer.
Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County CEO Melissa Songo said that they worked with the City of Watertown to ensure the Habitat project would be a good fit for the neighborhood. The organization plans to build six buildings, which will consist of twin homes and it will include 12 units in total. Each of the units will be 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, 1400 square feet, with an attached garage. The project has been approved for the certified survey map with the city of Watertown.
The next step in the process is to complete infrastructure work and laterals, site grading and storm water. There are no laterals to connect to a house which includes sewer and water. Later this fall, they will start to build vertically.
They hope to build the project in two phases. Each lot is a phase. They are planning on families moving in 10 months after they have started.
The organization is now beginning work on recruiting families for homes. Interested parties can go to the Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County website to complete a home screening form with documentation. If they meet the basic requirements they will be invited to apply.
The process is like applying for a home loan. If they qualify, they are invited into the program, they put in $200 in sweat equity. They must also complete home buyers counseling.
Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County CEO Melissa Songo said, “We will be working with a local bank financial institution to provide the loan. The cool thing about Habitat is that their mortgage is based on what they can afford. It’s 30% of their income is what their first mortgage equates to.”
There are plans to complete a ceremonial groundbreaking this fall. Madison College will also host the Habitat for Humanity Fundraising Gala scheduled for June 13, 2026, at the Madison College Watertown Campus. Attendees will be able to tour the houses and see the neighborhood.
Madison College Executive Vice President of Finance & Administration Sylvia Ramirez said, “It was really great. We are glad that it worked out. We’re really excited to be able to since it is a lot of families, we’re hopeful that we will get some future students out of it. It will be great for us and the community.”