Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Blight Demolition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dayton reports 27 demolitions in February; blight removal pipeline grows
Summary
City staff told the Dayton City Council that crews completed 27 demolitions in February (21 ARPA-funded), reduced open demolition piles to 82 and have dozens of properties moving through title and asbestos surveys.
Steve Gondo, Planning & Neighborhood Development staff, told the Dayton City Council on March 27, 2025, that crews completed 27 demolitions in February and that the city’s demolition pipeline was stronger after a slow January.
Gondo said, “We had 27 demolitions for the month. 21 of those were ARPA funded, 3 general funds, and 3 ODOD. And so that brings us up to 34 total demolitions in the first 2 months of the year.” He reported the city’s open demolition pile count fell from 89 in January to 82 in February after crews removed eight piles and added one.
The demolition work concentrated in historically blighted areas, Gondo said, noting activity in Miami Chapel, Edgemont and moving north of Wolf Creek into the Southern Dayton View neighborhood. He described contractors’ work beyond structure removal: clearing brush, removing trees up to a contract-specified diameter and grading lots “to tee them up for potential redevelopment.”
Council members asked about local factors that had kept the pile count from rising. Commissioner Charles Lopes asked whether provisions put in place with the fire department and other partners had contributed to the single new pile. Gondo said staff would “pull something together and provide that to the chief of staff and city manager” with more detail on the specific property and on coordination in the Ferguson‑Negley area.
Gondo also summarized the pipeline for forthcoming demolitions: nine properties were added to the structural nuisance list in February (17 so far this year), and staff sent 119 properties out for asbestos surveys. He said staff processed properties for title work so they could move forward with clearance and disposition, and that properties with asbestos findings would proceed to remediation and follow-up in coming months.
On one high-profile site, Gondo described the city’s recent work with the Montgomery County Land Bank and Preservation Dayton to clear a fire‑devastated property and grade it for future reuse; he said crews removed a carriage house that had collapsed and prepared the lot for potential neighbor acquisition or future infill. He told the council the city was communicating with residents of the Cornell Market area and that the matter had moved into criminal prosecution in Dayton Municipal Court.
PND staff reiterated that adjacent neighbors sometimes have the first opportunity to acquire cleared lots the city owns, and that other lots remain subject to county processes when back taxes apply. Gondo said staff will connect interested neighbors to the disposition team and noted fees for neighbor acquisition are typically lower than other routes but did not state a specific dollar amount.
Council members praised the pace of removals. Commissioner Joseph said he did not recall a February with 27 demolitions “in all these years,” and several members complimented staff for outreach at a recent Cornell Market community meeting.
City staff said seasonal factors — longer daylight in spring and summer and drier weather for grading — typically accelerate demolition and grading work but may delay final grading if heavy rains leave sites too muddy to finish.
