The Common Council has unanimously approved another phase of Buffalo's ongoing campaign to demolish hundreds of vacant structures in economically distressed neighborhoods.

About 650 decaying buildings would be targeted in an application for $20 million in state funds. In addition, up to 10 existing homes would be rehabilitated.

The Council held an hour-long public hearing this week at which Buffalo's vacant housing crisis was discussed. In a 7-0 vote, lawmakers approved Mayor Byron W. Brown's plan.

West Side housing advocate Aaron Bartley of PUSH Buffalo said the glut of empty structures is a "monumental problem" that's more severe than in most other cities. He encouraged other not-for-profit groups to get involved in housing rehabilitation.

Several other speakers urged the city to consider new strategies to ease the problem. For example, one East Side resident said he thinks the city must make it easier for people to buy vacant homes that can be rehabilitated. Others called for a more cohesive approach to the problem.

The city will apply for the funding through the state's Restore NY Communities Initiative. The new phase of demolitions will begin next year and will focus largely on the East Side, West Side and parts of downtown.

Some of the homes targeted for rehabilitation are located near Frank A. Sedita Academy on Vermont Street at Lowell Place, said Niagara Council Member David A. Rivera. The school has been among the facilities modernized under Buffalo's $1 billion school construction program. Rivera believes pairing school upgrades with housing improvements will help strengthen the West Side neighborhood.

"It fits with what we want to do around our schools," Rivera said of the housing rehabilitation plan.

Rivera and some citizens said they would like to see more housing rehabilitations. The city has set a goal of rehabilitating at least 100 vacant units each year for five years. It plans to demolish 1,000 blighted structures annually for five years.

Many of the demolitions included in the new round of funding will target derelict structures on the East Side, including long-vacant buildings in the Cold Spring neighborhood and near Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

The Restore NY Communities Initiative was enacted in 2006. The state provides grants for projects that aim to stabilize neighborhoods and attract residents and businesses.

Masten Council Member Demone A. Smith is sponsoring a resolution that would move the projects forward by giving the Brown administration the green light to submit the funding application to the state, then administer the grants.