RAPID CITY, S.D.- The City of Rapid City is preparing to take further action to address safety concerns at Star Village.

On Tuesday, the Rapid City Public Works Committee approved three items authorizing the mayor and finance director to sign agreements with Ridgeline Construction LLC, MMI LLC, and HC LLC, for the demolition of 28 garages and sheds in the Star Village area next month that are “neglected, damaged, and dilapidated” resulting in a safety issue.

Star Village has been on the city’s radar in recent years as ongoing disputes with the Star Village property management company Tzadik Management have gone unresolved. On Tuesday prior to the Public Works meeting, city leaders held a press conference to discuss the situation at Star Village and outline the cities’ grievances with Tzadik Management.

If approved by the full city council at their regular meeting Tuesday, July 20, demolition of the 28 structures at Star Village will take place in August and the $133,500 cost will be assessed to the property owner.

The City condemned the garages and sheds and ordered Tzadik Rapid City Portfolio I to demolish the structures with deadlines of November 13, 2025 and February 20, 2026 for two phases of demolition. The structures have not been removed so the City is taking charge of the demolition process and has contractors ready to perform the demolitions.

“We shouldn’t have to do this. We shouldn’t have to work this hard and have so many resources going into one property management company,” Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun said during a press conference Tuesday. “Time and time again we’ve provided opportunities to make things better and time and time again we’ve been let down.”

Other issues plague Star Village. In recent years, Rapid City has addressed issues at Star Village including safety risks due to deteriorating conditions of garages and homes, unpaid utility bills, and code enforcement issues.

“For years this has been a pattern of behavior and it needs to stop,” Salamun said.

Star Village was established in the early 1950s as a development for Air Force personnel and civilian defense workers. Over the decades, the area has developed into low-income housing with high police call volumes.

Crime began increasing in 2024 and drastically increased the next year.

“When it comes to crime, Tzadik Management is often number one or number two as far as criminal activity both violent crime and reactive calls for service that occur on their properties alone compared to all the other apartment complexes throughout the city,” said Rapid City Police Department Capt. Christian Sigel.

“So that just shows how much their efforts, or lack thereof, are contributing to crime and a poor quality of life for those citizens that live up there,” Sigel said.

City Finance officials also confirm Tzadik Management has unpaid utility bills to the City of Rapid City for various properties in excess of a half million dollars ($533,096), including more than $344,000 in unpaid utility bills for Star Village properties. 

Despite the delinquent accounts, the City as opted to not turn off utilities to Star Village residents.

“We’re not doing that because the residents that live in those structures are paying,” said City Finance Director Dan Ainslee. “The really sad part is those payments are not coming back to the city.”

In addition to the unpaid utility bills, code enforcement abatements of about $26,000 dating to 2023 are owed to the City of Rapid City by Tzadik, the City reported in a press release.

Several groups have been involved in efforts to revitalize Star Village. The RCPD Community Engagement Team and local community volunteers have been working directly with affected Star Village residents since late 2025 to address issues related to the unsafe garage structures.

And In 2024, the City was awarded a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center for Public Innovations’ Love Your Block grant, which has funded various outreach efforts, including lawn care, handyman projects and trash removal. These groups have also worked on beautification efforts such as the junior gardening program, helped develop an onsite food pantry and tool lending library, and organized youth activities and neighborhood gatherings to support the community.

“I would like the city to help Love Your Block and help the police department keep this community going because it is making a difference,” said 15 year Star Village resident Mark Morris. “If you can all help us to make a difference that would be great.”