CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Council has allocated $6.5 million for development in Bond Hill, and officials want to hear from residents about how to transform vacant properties — including the site of the former Swifton Commons shopping mall — into thriving homes and businesses.
The funding came from the $7 million that Mercy Health paid back to the city after failing to create thousands of jobs at its Bond Hill location.
The desolate field that once housed Swifton Commons, a popular shopping destination that has been abandoned for decades, is among the areas being considered for development.
"Swifton Commons was the place to be, to shop and go. It was really honestly where it was really a sense of pride of the Black community here in Bond Hill," said Laketa Cole, vice president of Bond Hill Community Council.
WATCH: Cole said the $6.5 million allocation presents an opportunity to turn the area back into usable space
The goal is to take empty and abandoned properties and turn them into something residents can actually use.
"One of the things we were asking for was maybe one of it be senior citizen for our senior housing," Cole said.
When I talked to Cole and Community Council President Jacqueline Edmerson about the funding back in June, they described amenities that used to exist in the neighborhood and hopes that they can bring something similar back into the community.
"We had Cincinnati Gardens, we had Showcase Cinema, I don't know what happened to Bond Hill," Edmerson said in June.
On Thursday, Cole and other Bond Hill residents will meet with Council Member Evan Nolan during a subcommittee meeting to discuss how they can transform vacant properties into the thriving community it once was.
"What we're looking for in our community is single family housing, we're looking for mixed use. We want businesses, we want our tax base to grow we don't want any more empty storefronts," Cole said.
Cole said in the early 2000s there were talks about the Swifton Commons property becoming home to 43 single-family condos.
Nolan agreed affordable housing would be helpful for the neighborhood.
"I don't have an agenda myself other than we need to build more housing, that is a stated goal of this city," Nolan said. "More housing, and that includes more affordable housing."
Nolan said that the conversation about developments is still in an early stage.
"It is not to discuss any particular development on any particular property, we really want to talk about the lay of the land, where things stand and a better understanding on the background," Nolan said.
Anyone interested is welcome to join the meeting on Thursday at 1 p.m. inside council chambers at 801 Plum Street.
"Our community wants to make sure we're building a legacy for the next generation to be proud of," Cole said.
