Forward Management has been behind several other Sun Prairie apartment developments, including the 160-unit, four building Revere and 60-unit Conservancy Pointe, both in Smith’s Crossing just east of Highway 151 at Reiner Road. Forward also developed 25-unit and 52-unit buildings in the Providence development near Costco on the city’s southwest side.

The West Main Street project would not only bring new retail to the corridor but more lower-cost housing. The 2.5-acre project calls for 79 underground parking spaces and 37 apartments to be rented to individuals or families at 60 percent of the median household income for Dane County, which is about $54,000, according to U.S. Census data.

Overall, the three-story building would contain 37 one-bedroom apartments, 31 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom units.

“I am very excited to see a project of this caliber moving forward on Main Street,” Mayor Paul Esser said in a statement. “I think this project has tremendous potential to jump-start additional private investment in this area, and is hopefully just the first of many good things to come for Main Street.”