Ok, found this, still doesn't make sense? all but one of these towns are unincorporated in other words it's not the community making these decisions perhaps county commissioners? Either way this can't be good!
Derelict houses, dormant factories, moribund strip malls, and other types of
vacant and abandoned properties are among the most visible outward signs of a community’s reversing fortunes. Properties that have turned from productive use to disuse are found in cities, suburbs, and
rural areas throughout the country, and they vary widely in size, shape, and former use. But these vacant and abandoned properties are more than just a symptom of larger economic forces at work in the community; their association with crime, increased risk to health and welfare, plunging property values, and escalating municipal costs make them problems in and of themselves, contributing to overall community decline and disinvestment.1 Local government officials, community organizations, and residents, however, increasingly view vacant properties as opportunities for productive reuse,
reimagining blight and dilapidation as urban farms, community gardens, and health facilities. To them, empty homes can
become assets in neighborhood stabilization and revitalization that can be renovated and reoccupied.
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/em/winter14/highlight1.html
