The property has been vacant since the city demolished the mall in 2006. The mall opened in 1966 but suffered a decline in the 1990s when two of its anchor stores, JCPenney and Lazarus, closed. Sears remained as a freestanding store.
Burkhardt said the cleanup project will go out to prospective contractors in October, with hopes that bulldozers will arrive to start the work a month later.
Burkhardt previously said in June the cleanup could take more than a year to complete.
Once completed, plans would include approximately 600,000 square feet of space for potential business, which Burhardt said could include a range of possibilities from light industrial business to a hotel.
The plan also would include the possibility of 1,350 jobs, Burkhardt said.
Earlier this year, Montgomery County and the City of Trotwood secured a $200,000 federal Community Development Block Grant to help with cleanup costs.
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