Aurora plans major Grafton hospital expansion

Aurora Health Care is planning a significant expansion of its Grafton hospital, work that is expected to begin this year and be completed in 2027.

The work includes a 125,000-square-foot addition to the northeast corner of the hospital on Port Washington Road on the village’s east side, as well as an expansion and renovation of the emergency room, Jessica Wolff, Grafton’s acting administrator and director of planning and development, said Tuesday.

The expansion will include a five-story tower with 84 private patient suites — supplementing the hospital’s current 132 beds.

The project is being driven, Wolff said,  by “increased demand for those services.”

It’s good news for the village, she said.

“We’re very excited about it, and that Aurora feels this is a good investment for them,” Wolff said. “We definitely support Aurora’s expansion and the critical services they provide.”

Aurora Health Care President Gabrielle Finley-Hazle said in a letter to the village, “The expansion reflects our ongoing commitment and investment in Wisconsin and to providing exceptional care while meeting the growing needs of those we are privileged to serve. 

“We look forward to continuing our tradition of excellence and making a meaningful difference in the lives of our patients and communities.”

The project wasn’t a surprise to the village, Wolff said, noting Aurora officials told the village they were working on the expansion plans earlier this year.

Aurora submitted the paperwork for the project last week.

The village Plan Commission is expected to consider a request to amend the planned unit development zoning for the hospital site and a conditional use permit for the project on Oct. 21, Wolff said.

The project would then be reviewed by the Architectural Review Board on Nov. 12, with the Village Board considering the zoning at its Nov. 17 meeting, she said.

If approved, Aurora would start construction almost immediately, Wolff said, with completion slated for the third quarter of 2027.

Aurora is already constructing a new parking lot on the west side of the hospital campus in anticipation of the addition, she added.

Aurora Medical Center in Grafton opened in 2010 and is one of three hospitals in Ozaukee County — the others are Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital-Ozaukee in Mequon, which has 118 beds, and Froedtert Community Hospital in Mequon, which has eight inpatient beds.

Aurora’s Grafton hospital offers care in 59 specialties, with a staff that includes 902 physicians and 568 nurses, according to a hospital statistic sheet.

It offers primary and tertiary specialty care services, with clinical expertise and specialties including heart care, orthopedics, surgical services, women’s health care, neuroscience and emergency care and it has the highest level neonatal intensive care unit in the county.

It has been recognized for excellence, and this year was ranked the second best hospital in the Milwaukee metro area and sixth in the state by U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals survey.

When it opened, it was the first hospital in the state to be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.