Court upholds Waukesha County board's rejection of Aurora's Summit hospital

Milwaukee Business Journal, Mar. 23, 2006

A Waukesha County Circuit Court judge Thursday upheld the April 2005 Waukesha County board vote rejecting Aurora Health Care's proposed $85 million, 88-bed hospital in the town of Summit.

Judge Mark Gempeler's ruling dismissed the claims in the lawsuit filed by the Milwaukee health system and the town of Summit against Waukesha County and 21 county supervisors.

Aurora Health Care spokesman Jeff Squire declined to comment immediately after the ruling, but said Aurora will issue a comment later in the day.

In May, Aurora Health Care and the town of Summit sued the county and the 21 supervisors. The suit came after the Waukesha County Board voted against rezoning and changes to the town of Summit master plan. The changes had been unanimously approved by the Summit Town Board in December 2004.

The lawsuit claimed the County Board acted illegally in turning down the proposed hospital planned for the southeast corner of Interstate 94 and Highway 67 in Summit. The filing claimed there are "no grounds for the Board to disapprove Summit's rezoning of the Summit parcel."

Aurora agreed to buy land from Pabst Farms developers in 2003 and announced plans for its hospital in April 2004. Aurora has said the hospital would increase competition for health care in Waukesha County, which would improve medical care and lower costs. However, opponents have said the proposed hospital would duplicate services and lead to higher health care costs.