Private ownership limits Seinäjoki’s power over vacant city-centre plots

Large parts of central Seinäjoki have remained vacant for years, and the city has few ways to force development because the plots are privately owned, Yle reports. Mayor Jaakko Kiiskilä says overgrown plots in prominent locations are a blemish on the cityscape.

The city was not involved when the plots changed hands, so it has little practical power over what happens on them. If the land had been bought from the city, it would have come with a building obligation and a timetable, Kiiskilä said.

Seinäjoki owns very little land in its centre, much of which is privately held. Kiiskilä said the city is still involved in development through planning, design and discussions with private-sector actors. Developing the centre is a key part of the city’s strategy, and a city survey found strong support for the work among residents.

The city’s only way to press landowners to build would be to issue a building order. If nothing happened by the deadline, the city would need to be prepared to expropriate the plots. Kiiskilä said Seinäjoki does not want to buy land without a clear purpose and considers a building order an extreme measure that requires a strong reason.

Laura Suurjärvi, a development manager at the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, said such an order is ineffective when there is no demand for housing. Some of the vacant plots in Seinäjoki are held by bankruptcy estates, and the city is waiting for the housing market to recover.

Suurjärvi said cities’ land ownership varies for historical reasons and because of their land policies. Some own much of their central land and lease plots to private parties, while in other cities the centre is largely privately owned. In those cases, development generally depends on cooperation with landowners.

University researcher Aapo Jumppanen said Seinäjoki has historically been relatively cautious about expropriating privately owned plots. He described private ownership issues as a sensitive subject in the city.