GREENSBURG, Kan. -- Empty lots and broken trees serve as lingering reminders of the massive tornado.

Residents, though, applaud recovery efforts under way and progress already made, particularly in the residential sector. As of November, the city had issued building permits for 210 residential units and almost 60 for commercial structures.

Main Street, however, hasn't exactly kept pace, and at a recent City Council meeting, one resident noted the drive through the relatively barren business district.

Charting a course for a community rebuilding after a disaster takes time and careful deliberation, according to Greensburg's leaders. In this case, designs call for a streetscape project, a business incubator and a commitment to green construction techniques.

"Anytime you've got to rebuild your community, you've got to have a plan," City Administrator Steve Hewitt said.

"We have to build smarter," he added. "We have to build better."

Some businesses were quick to respond after a tornado on May 4, 2007, wiped out most of the structures in the city. The grain cooperative and banks barely skipped a beat, though operations were significantly altered. One financial institution even conducted business on the sidewalk using card tables.

A thrift shop and food pantry, run by the Kiowa County Ministerial Alliance, was one of the first enterprises to return to Main Street. The banks are back, too, and the city's business incubator should open in January.

Jeanette Siemens, director of Kiowa County Economic Development, predicts a wave of new businesses will pop up in the coming year even though Greensburg, for now, lacks commercial properties for would-be tenants.

Since the tornado, many Greensburg business owners have worked out of trailers and basements or in neighboring communities, Siemens said. She believes most want to return to some semblance of normal.

"A lot of them are waiting for a place for them to lease," Siemens said. "They don't have the money to build."

The tornado wiped out a number of historic structures that used to house mom-and-pop shops for modest rental fees, Hewitt said.

To address that need, the city is building the incubator. The space will serve as a temporary holding place for small businesses. The incubator will also meet the strictest standards for energy efficiency and sustainability set by the U.S. Green Building Council. The United States Department of Agriculture, SunChips and Leonard DiCaprio funded the project, said Kim Alderfer, assistant city administrator and recovery coordinator.

In a separate concept, real estate agent Scott Brown is trying to raise $1 million for a redevelopment project to compliment the business incubator. The proposal calls for space for retailers and other business ventures at an affordable rent, Brown said.

To keep costs down for tenants, Brown is soliciting donations from the local community.

"The building needs to be paid for and it needs to be paid for by someone who doesn't care about a return in the investment," Brown said.

Investors would own the building, and a board of directors would run the operation.

Businesses, foundations and private citizens have pledged about $825,000. On Monday, the Greensburg City Council agreed to contribute $50,000.

Community leaders also hope to attract businesses to town, especially those focused on sustainable products or environmentally friendly practices, Siemens said.

"We need jobs," she said.

Community leaders are committed to making Greensburg a model of sustainability and energy efficiency.

The green movement in town has skeptics, but proponents think Greensburg will benefit from -- and even needs -- something to set the town apart from other small rural communities competing with big cities for jobs and young people.

Prior to the storm, some residents thought Greensburg was holding its own, with a respectible number of stores on Main Street. Changing and downsizing but still a good place to raise a kid, Pastor Jeff Blackburn, a resident of 13 years, said.

"There was a lot about Greensburg that was good and right," Blackburn said.

Others, while praising the merit of its citizens, put the town on shakier footing. The farm economy helped but the town struggled, Mike Estes, a store manager for the John Deere dealership in Greensburg and member of the business redevelopment group, which works to help businesses recover.

"This was a dying little town," Estes said.

But times are changing.

"The reason this town is coming back is people support each other," Estes said.

In the quest, having a name like Greensburg certainly doesn't hurt, said Michael Gurnee, community development director.

"It sure looks like it's going to work," he said.

Contact Karen Heinselman at (319) 291-1581 or karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.