Market-Anticipatory Approaches to Rural Property Vacancy

The calculation of whether and how to acquire and either demolish or rehabilitate a dilapidated property is probably a gamble for any local government, especially those in communities with high rates of property vacancy and dilapidation.2 Except in localities experiencing consistent growth or the mixed bag of gentrification, it is not necessarily clear that a new user will emerge at the end of a rehabilitation process in order to put a once-derelict property back into productive use and provide a local government with a return on its investment.3 For rural local governments in particular-and for the more than one third of rural local governments that are experiencing regional population loss and related socioeconomic decline and distress-this gamble is quite uncertain.4 Rural markets for housing, commerce, and other industries are more limited due to greater population scarcity and distance.5 It is far from guaranteed that a market of consumers will be interested in acquiring any particular rehabilitated property, whether it is a post-demolition vacant lot or a parcel suitable for housing, retail, or industrial uses. Do we need a safety net related to mental health disorders, poverty in old age, and drug addiction?"8 She provides a harrowing account of a rural Oregon woman who called 911 in 2012 "to report a violent ex-boyfriend trying to break into her home, [but] [b]udget cuts meant that the local sheriff's department did not have anyone on duty on weekends," and the dispatcher had no one available to send.9 The woman was raped and murdered, and the county sheriff issued a statement recommending that victims of domestic violence "consider relocating to an area with adequate law enforcement services. Not addressing the crumbling built environment means that a community will have a much more challenging time attracting new residents, new employers, and new businesses and services. [...]if a locality hopes to turn things around, it likely needs to find some way to address problem properties. According to this approach, municipalities "must first identify the path of least resistance by which a new tenant will take over the structure, and then take steps to remove barriers that would slow down or prevent such a transaction.