Dayton reports 208 demolitions in 2024; 401 demolitions on track for 2025

City planning officials told the Dayton City Commission on Jan. 29 that the city completed 208 demolitions in 2024 and has a pipeline of work that puts about 401 demolitions in place for 2025.

Steve Gondo, director of planning, neighborhoods and development, said 11 of 13 demolitions in December used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and two used Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) funds. He said ARPA-funded work made up the bulk of the year’s activity and helped the program exceed its internal target for 2024.

Gondo said the city ended 2024 with 87 active “piles” (fire-damaged or otherwise hazardous structures awaiting removal), down slightly from 88 the month before. He reported that, for the year, staff processed 428 title reports, 163 asbestos surveys and 83 remediation projects as part of preparing properties for demolition.

“The work took place in the ARPA focus areas but also beyond those areas because of partnerships with the land bank and ODOD,” Gondo said, noting examples in Southern Dayton View, Santa Clara, Westwood and Roosevelt. He said 247 structures were on contract at the time of the briefing and that, adding contracts and anticipated ODOD work, his tally showed about 401 demolitions in place for 2025.

Gondo described efforts to avoid demolition when feasible, saying the city and its partners pursue structural rehabilitation where appropriate and use ARPA funding to support those efforts. He also detailed recent demolitions that neighborhood leaders had requested, including a blighted commercial structure removed to make room for infill housing under the Welcome Home Ohio program and several residential properties in historic districts where Landmarks staff agreed the buildings were “beyond repair.”

Commissioners asked for more integration of the demolition data with the city’s housing condition survey. Commissioner Fairchild asked if the program’s pace—208 demolitions in 2024 and roughly 400 planned in 2025—would double the workload for staff. Gondo said some ODOD-funded work may span 2025 and 2026 depending on state timing and that his 2025 work plan includes reassessing the pipeline as piles and new nuisance properties are added.

Public commenters and local commissioners also raised neighborhood-level concerns. Resident Jennifer Evans thanked staff for recent actions at a specific fire-damaged property and urged that two nearby nuisance houses be prioritized for removal. Gondo and other staff said the city maintains a dedicated fund for fire-pile removal and tries to take all accessory structures when it demolishes a house.

The presentation and discussion underscored the combination of federal ARPA dollars, state ODOD awards and local land‑bank partnerships driving the city’s demolition and blight‑remediation work as the commission moves toward the deadline for ARPA spending and continued enforcement of the city’s structural nuisance program.

Ending: The commission did not take a separate vote on the demolition presentation; staff said they will return with updated numbers after reassessing piles and recently added nuisance properties.