Automated Merging using ArcMap

Question

I’m new to working on automating processes with GIS data and I’m trying to come up with a solution in ArcMap that will automate merging polygons that have "Shape Area < 25" into larger polygons. I would like to merge it with the largest polygon that it is touching. I know dissolve is one solution to use to automate merging but in my case it would not work because the polygons that I’m working with are kind of in a grid pattern which needs to be retained. I would like to use a merge function similar to manually merging data via editor.

Does anyone know of a way using ModelBuilder?

Picture is an example so you can see what I’m trying to accomplish:

enter image description here

• ahmadhanb: If you have ArcGIS with Advanced license you can use Eliminate tool: desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/10.3/tools/data-management-toolbox/…, but if you want to use arcpy, you need to show your own code in the question.
• FelixIP: Split dataset in two. Call them 'big' and 'small'. Delete all fields in small. Spatial join (share boundary) with big. Append big by matching in spatial join. Repeat until nothing left in small.
• GBG: Look at the Aggregate Polygons (Cartography) Toolboxes\System Toolboxes\Cartography Tools.tbx\Generalization\Aggregate Polygons
• MPPA: @ahmadhanb Thank you eliminate tool was exactly what I was looking for.

Answer 1

Converting a comment to an answer, if you have ArcGIS with an Advanced License you can use Eliminate tool. From the summary of the help tool:

Eliminates polygons by merging them with neighboring polygons that have the largest area or the longest shared border. Eliminate is often used to remove small sliver polygons that are the result of overlay operations, such as Intersect or Union.

Based on your question that you need to merge polygons with Shape Area < 25, eliminate tool is the one you need.