More than 1,000 nuisance-abated Dayton properties scheduled to be removed
The City of Dayton is ready to start what could be the biggest community renewal project in the city’s history.
The city’s plan calls for spending $22 million over the next four years for demolition of nuisance properties.
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell spoke with city taxpayers and planners about how the program will work.
A fire at a large rooming house off of East Third Street last March left an unexpected fire pile because the damage was so severe, an emergency demolition was needed.
The city now has enough money put together to clean up more than 100 fire piles and 1,000 of the vacant and abandoned homes that plague many neighborhoods.
“That was our goal, let this really be impactful, let people really feel the blight has been resolved,” said Steven Gondol, deputy director of Dayton’s planning, neighborhoods and development department.
He said they took a year to put together this detailed plan.
>> PHOTOS: Nuisance-abated Dayton properties scheduled for demolition
“When we are on that street, we can address every blighted home, our plan is to go street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood,” Gondol said.
The city took down a home on Chapel Street last summer as a model for this program, but now they have the massive plan details worked out.
The funding starts with more than $12 million from the American Rescue Plan.
It then adds $3.5 million more federal dollars from community block grants, $3 million from Ohio Department of Development cash and $3 million from the city’s general fund.
That will pay to remove approximately 990 abandoned and nuisance homes and buildings, plus clean-up 110 fire piles. The program should be complete by the end of 2026.
Terry Woodley is happy about the program kicking off, especially when he looks at the great need, like home after home on Hudson Avenue off of North Main Street where they are sagging, abandoned and neglected.
“What we want to do is like, they are eyesores for the community, so we just want to build up the community, so I think that’s a good idea,” Woodley said.
The city has already hired the contractor that will clean up fire piles. They expect that effort will take up the first six months of the project, then work on taking down blighted homes begins and will last through 2026 under this program.
