In an article emphasizing that housing is the primary hurdle to small-town economic development, Bart Pfankuch also notes that putting the screws to owners of vacant downtown buildings helped boost Centerville’s economy:
Jared Hybertson, economic development coordinator in Centerville, a Turner County city of 900 located about 40 miles southwest of Sioux Falls, said the city’s vacant building ordinance was aimed at preventing potential blight that can deter growth in a downtown district.
In 2014, before Centerville had the ordinance, there were 11 vacant buildings downtown, some of which had become eyesores due to long periods of vacancy.
Hybertson told the Murdo group that generating initial support for the ordinance among elected officials and the community at large is a big first hurdle.
“I know a lot of small towns struggle with this, and getting an ordinance off the ground is probably the hardest part,” he said.
Hybertson said the ordinance has created a few tense moments with property owners. But it has ultimately led to redevelopment of several downtown buildings and storefronts that are now used as businesses, community hubs and residences [Bart Pfankuch, “The One Issue South Dakota Towns Agree Is Holding Them Back,” South Dakota News Watch, 2025.12.24].
I appreciate the libertarian principle of letting people do what they want with their property. But Centerville is making a reasonable argument that you have to do something with your downtown property, not just let it sit vacant and crumbling.
And you know, those old downtown buildings can be turned into a lot of really funky apartments to address local housing shortages….