Steve Bridal, director of the Department of Planning, Neighborhoods and Development, told the Dayton City Commission that city crews removed 30 structures in September and 220 year-to-date in 2025, with the bulk of work paid for by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

The update said demolition crews focused on concentrated geographic areas to gain efficiencies, with most recent activity in Southern Dayton View and the Santa Clara neighborhood. Bridal said crews had reduced the number of fire/debris "piles" from 46 in August to 38 at the end of September and identified two emergency demolitions for the month at 160 Parkwood and 3305 East Fifth.

"Last month, we saw 30 structures removed," Bridal said. He told commissioners that 27 of the September demolitions were funded with ARPA and three with general funds, and that the year's total demolitions had reached 220.

Bridal described several larger, multi-parcel cleanups that required interagency coordination. At 2934 Salem (the Buckeye Cleaners site), the city cleared structures to concrete at the direction of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because of chemical-contamination concerns, he said. "They directed us that to just get it to the concrete, until they could maybe either further study it," Bridal said, and added the agency has an active case against the property's owner.

Other large removals cited by staff included a multi-unit building at 111 Rosedale, the trolley-barn structure at 1738 Howe, and a longtime fire-damaged property at 1615 Tacoma. Bridal said the city was able to salvage bricks from one demolition for masonry repairs at the Dunbar Museum.

Commissioners pressed staff for follow-up on several sites, including whether remaining rubble at 1738 Howe had been graded and whether the Buckeye Cleaners site could be treated aesthetically while EPA's longer-term review proceeds. Bridal said he would coordinate with EPA and other city teams and return with additional information.

The report also listed operational details: 12 properties were added to the structural nuisance list in September (five houses, six garages, one commercial structure); seven of the 12 were fire-related and five were attributed to blight or neglect. Staff said they were moving from title work into asbestos remediation and other pre-demolition work in preparation for additional removals.

Commissioners and staff credited the work to Planning, Neighborhoods and Development and Public Works for complementary cleanups and street maintenance, and called for continued outreach to affected neighborhoods.