Oct. 23, 2025
By Tim Hundt
VIROQUA, Wis. — The completion of the 65-unit Northpointe housing development, officially known as the Main Street Apartments, marks a significant milestone in Viroqua, made possible largely through a substantial infusion of federal pandemic relief funds. Even though the building is almost full already, local officials, organizations and key players who all had a hand in the completion of the project gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 10.
The project gained crucial momentum after securing $6 million from the state of Wisconsin’s Neighborhood Investment Fund. This funding originated from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds set aside by Governor Tony Evers for major capital projects, including housing. The city played a critical role in handling part of this financing, acting as a pass-through for ARPA funds dedicated to the Northpointe project. This funding was noted as the crucial component that helped finalize the project, allowing developers to pursue competitive housing tax credits from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). The project also received city incentives in the form of Tax Incremental Finance District (TIF) funding.
The development is located at 602 N. Main Street, on the site of the former Vernon County Highway Shop. The Vernon County Board of Supervisors and staff were instrumental in moving the project forward, agreeing to sell the property despite the site’s complexities. Following the award of the state grant, an agreement was reached for a sale price of $800,000. The location, however, presented challenges, as the site was described as “fairly contaminated.” Testing for environmental contamination took longer than initially expected, and the sale contingency required the buyer, Northpointe Development, to be responsible for any necessary cleanup.
The Main Street Apartments building includes 65 dwelling units of affordable workforce housing. Beyond housing, the complex features 3,121 square feet of commercial space and a 6,000 square foot licensed childcare facility. The childcare facility, which will be run by the Vernon Area Rehab Center (VARC) as the Bumble & Bloom Early Learning Center, is designed to serve approximately 76 kids aged birth to six years. To reduce operational costs, the City of Viroqua is leasing the daycare space to VARC for $1 per year, plus utilities and operational costs. The building is recognized as a Johnson Greenbelt Gold Standard structure, incorporating solar panels and other sustainable features.
The affordable units are rent and income restricted, utilizing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. Households must income qualify, with units set aside for families earning between 30% and 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Additionally, several units within the development are prioritized specifically for veterans. The high demand for the new housing was immediately evident, with the building expected to be fully occupied shortly after opening.
Comments from the Ribbon Cutting/Grand Opening – Oct. 10, 2025
Jake Victor of Northpointe Development emphasized that the project was a comprehensive effort driven by community engagement:
“Community is what stood out with this project,” said Victor. “We did so many neighborhood meetings and stakeholder engagement work on the front end of this project… It’s only because of you all in this room today that we’re standing here.”
Victor also noted the overwhelming need for this type of housing in the region:
“This project will be full by the end of the month,” said Victor. “It’s about 30, 45 days to fill up 65 units… I think there’s room for another project here. I think the demand of this community is incredible.”
Governor Tony Evers spoke to the statewide necessity of affordable housing initiatives and how this project connects social issues:
“No matter where I go as governor of the state, people talk about how important affordable housing is,” said Evers. “It’s a difficult lift wherever you go… The really important thing for me is that it brings the community together it is extraordinarily important to connect the dots because if you have good housing, you’re gonna be able to, do all sorts of other things.”
Evers singled out the inclusion of early childhood resources:
“The idea of having early childhood programming, right,” said Evers. “In the facility and that is very unusual and I couldn’t be happier to, be here today to see it kicked off and, take a look at the beautiful facilities.”
Viroqua Mayor Justin Running highlighted the speed of the occupancy and the unique design elements Northpointe incorporated:
“This building’s full in, in what, 65 days from completion to full. It shows the need and continues to need more…,” said Running. “This project isn’t just housing, it’s community. When you look around outside, there’s, play sets, childcare. This wonderful common space. You don’t see projects like this. I’ve never seen another one like it anywhere.”
Running also noted the developer’s responsiveness to local requests:
“Every single thing that the community asked Northpointe to put into this property, they did,” said Running. “There’s not, I never heard no come out of of Northpointe’s mouth. We’ve got daycare, we’ve got retail, we’ve got underground parking, there’s charging stations, there’s solar infrastructure.”
LaVon “Spanky” Felton, President of the Viroqua Development Association (VDA) and a former county board member who was on the board when the project started, credited the local partnerships for the success:
“We had the partnership between VDA, the city, the county to make this happen because that’s what it takes… it’s just the partnerships,” said Felton. “It’s the people. It’s people sitting down saying this is going to happen. We’re going to make this happen. I am so, so proud to be a part of this is some small way.”
Liz Filter, President & CEO of VARC, spoke about the practical impact of addressing critical community needs:
“This project represents more than bricks and mortar,” said Filter. “It represents opportunity. Opportunity for families to thrive, for children to grow, and for the workforce to become stronger across Wisconsin.”
Sarah, one of the residents of the Main Street Apartments, focused on the social impact of the affordable housing model:
“I think the thing that we enjoy the most and we’re the proudest of for being residents here, is the idea of social equity and that we all have worth that is not attached to how much money we make and we have so much to contribute to the community.”
State Senator Brad Pfaff commented on the urgency of the housing crisis and praised local leadership:
“This really is testament to the leadership here in the city of Viroqua for working through the various layers in order to get a project like this done,” said Pfaff. “The average home price in the state of Wisconsin is nearly 350,000. I mean, that is astronomical. And if we are going to really build a community to get in this state and have people, you know, have real ownership in this state, we have to tackle this housing crisis.”
State Representative Tara Johnson highlighted the role of government in solving complex local problems:
“This is all in one here. Right?” said Johnson. “Such a great example of how communities, build collaborations and solve problems together. Local government is where it’s at, right? Like today is a good reminder of that.”
Johnson further emphasized the connection between housing and economic vitality, recalling the motivation of local businesses:
“I was listening to the mayor mention that businesses were who he heard from the most when this project was being talked about,” said Johnson. “We have a hard time attracting employees to our workplace because there is not affordable housing in Viroqua.”
Add comment