Demolition of blighted and condemned properties has increased significantly during his time in office, Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun announced in his monthly newsletter to city dwellers.
He credited the Terre Haute Department of Redevelopment for “coordinating the safe removal of structures approved for demolition, and returning vacant parcels to productive use. The Department works to stabilize communities by preparing sites for redevelopment and supporting infill housing and other reinvestment projects that replace deteriorated structures with new, quality development.” The next request for demolition bids will be Feb. 26.
“Since I have been in office, we do these on a quarterly basis instead of twice a year,” Sakbun told the Tribune-Star. “This has helped improve throughput and increase demolition by approximately 70%.”
In January, Sakbun said, 24 structures were scheduled for demolition, but, “Not all were able to come down last month because of the weather, but they have been approved.”
In January of 2025, there were 10 completed demolitions, Sakbun said. The Department of Redevelopment oversaw the demolition of 75 of the roughly 100 blighted structures demolished last year.
Jordan Marvel, executive director of the Terre Haute Redevelopment Commission, said, “To my knowledge, we had five completed demolitions (in January). … Many of those released but not completed in January will be completed in February, assuming we don’t have another system come through.”
Marvel added via email, “When discussing demolitions, I always like to preface the conversation with: the timing between when a property is released for demolition and when the structure is actually demolished can vary a bit due to a variety of different factors such as the condition of the property, contractor scheduling, etc. A structure may be released for demolition one month, but may not be demolished until the following month.”
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