For Dane County building owners

A 0% loan to bring your upstairs apartments back

WHEDA's Restore Main Street program lends up to $50,000 per apartment, at 0% interest, to fix up apartments above storefronts. It is for 2- and 3-story buildings with a business on the ground floor and apartments upstairs that are empty, under-used or in need of repair.

WHEDA is the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. We help Dane County owners check their building and get the application ready. WHEDA makes every decision.

Check your building How the loan works

What can the loan pay for?

The loan pays for work on the building like this:

Heating, electrical, plumbing, walls and ceilings, roofs, windows, exterior doors, flooring, insulation, siding, and lead, asbestos or mold remediation

The terms

Interest rate: 0%No interest on the WHEDA loan
Loan amount: $50,000per apartment, or 33% of your rehab cost, whichever is less
Interest-only period: Up to 2 yearsat the start of the loan
Affordability: 10 yearsthe rehabbed apartments stay affordable

Example. You fix up 2 apartments for $240,000 in total. 33% of that is $79,200. The per-apartment limit is 2 × $50,000 = $100,000. The lower number wins, so the loan could be up to $79,200.

Is my building a fit?

WHEDA looks for all of these. If you are not sure about some of them, the check below shows what to confirm.

Rental apartments on the 2nd or 3rd floor of an existing 2- or 3-story building
Commercial use on the main floor, taking up no more than two-thirds of the building's gross square footage
Building at least 40 years old
Apartments not significantly improved in the last 20 years (WHEDA looks for a jump of more than 50% in the building's assessed improvement value in any single year)
Apartments vacant for a year or more, or underutilized as WHEDA defines it: fewer units than zoning allows, or in need of repair to be decent, safe and sanitary
The property pays property taxes
The rest of the rehab financing is committed when you apply
Your city or village meets WHEDA's local requirements and its mayor or village president signs a cost reduction analysis

WHEDA decides eligibility. This list comes from WHEDA's program documents.

What rents and incomes apply?

For 10 years after the rehab, every apartment the loan helps must rent at or below these limits, including utilities. The tenants must earn at or below these incomes.

Many older upstairs apartments already rent below these limits.

Highest monthly rent, utilities includedEffective May 1, 2026
Apartment size	Rent limit
Studio	$2,370
1 bedroom	$2,538
2 bedrooms	$3,045
3 bedrooms	$3,518
4 bedrooms	$3,925

Highest yearly household incomeEffective May 1, 2026
Household size	Income limit
1 person	$94,800
2 people	$108,300
3 people	$121,800
4 people	$135,300

Maximum gross rent including utilities, Dane County, 100% of area median income. WHEDA updates these yearly.

Does my city or village qualify?

WHEDA also looks at your municipality. The mayor or village president signs a cost reduction analysis for each project, and some places need a council or board vote first. Here is where each Dane County community stands for this round, based on our research. WHEDA has the final word, and we will confirm your municipality with you.

Meets local requirements

Already meets WHEDA's local requirements. The mayor or village president signs a cost reduction analysis for each project.

Black Earth
Madison
Marshall
Middleton
Mount Horeb
Verona

Needs a local resolution

Can qualify this round if its council or board passes a short certifying resolution in October.

Belleville
Fitchburg
Sun Prairie
Waunakee

Needs a new ordinance

Would need a new ordinance with published notice before November 6. Possible but tight.

DeForest
McFarland

Not this round

Cannot meet WHEDA's local requirements by November 6. Your building may still fit a later round.

Cross Plains
Mazomanie
Monona
Oregon
Stoughton

Not yet reviewed

Not yet reviewed for this round. We will check your municipality's status with you.

Blue Mounds
Brooklyn
Cambridge
Cottage Grove
Dane
Deerfield
Edgerton (Dane County part)
Maple Bluff
Rockdale
Shorewood Hills
Windsor
Another Dane County town

Check your building

Free, and it takes a few minutes. WHEDA makes the final decision.

Answer a few questions about your building and get an instant read on how it fits and what to check next.

This check runs on JavaScript. If the "Check my building" button below stays gray, it did not load: make sure JavaScript is on and reload the page, or email us at cruz@trespiesdesign.com with your building's address and we will go through it with you.

Five questions about the apartments

Which of these describe the upstairs? Choose all that apply.

One or more apartments have been empty for a year or longer The upstairs is used for storage or not used at all There are fewer apartments than zoning allows The apartments need repairs to be safe and livable None of these. The apartments are rented and in good shape. Not sure

When were the upstairs apartments last given a major remodel?

Before 2006 2006 or later Never, as far as I know Not sure

How do the current rents compare with these limits?

All at or below the limits Some above, some below All above the limits Not sure, or the apartments are empty

Monthly rent limits, utilities included
Studio	$2,370
1 bedroom	$2,538
2 bedrooms	$3,045
3 bedrooms	$3,518
4 bedrooms	$3,925

Do you have a lender for the rest of the rehab cost?

Yes, a lender has said they are interested I have a bank or lender, but I have not asked yet Not yet

Would you keep the rehabbed apartments affordable for 10 years?

Yes Maybe, I would like to learn more No

How to reach you

Your name

Phone (optional)

Company or organization (optional)

Your role

Owner Property manager Developer Other

Anything else we should know? (optional) Please do not include bank account or Social Security numbers.

TresPies may contact me about this program. (Required)

You may share my answers with lenders and a Dane County community development partner working on this program, so they can help with my application. (Optional)

We use your answers only for this program. Read our privacy notice.

Key dates

Monday, October 5The round opens. WHEDA starts taking requests for Procorem, its online application system.
Friday, October 30Registration closes: the last day to ask WHEDA for a Procorem workspace, which you need to apply.
Friday, November 6, 2026, 5:00 pm CentralApplications are due in Procorem.
After WHEDA's reviewWHEDA reviews the applications and announces the awards.

Who we are

TresPies LLC is an independent design and technology studio in Madison. We help building owners get ready for WHEDA's Restore Main Street program: checking whether a building fits, gathering the documents, and keeping every deadline. Your contact is Cruz Romero Morales, who works in English and Spanish.

Email: cruz@trespiesdesign.com
Call: Book a 30-minute call

TresPies is an independent consultant and is not affiliated with WHEDA. WHEDA alone decides eligibility and awards. Loan terms come from WHEDA's Spring 2026 documents and rent and income limits from WHEDA's 2026 limits (effective May 1, 2026); check the Fall 2026 documents when WHEDA posts them.