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 Bon

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