CINCINNATI—The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority has started the demolition of retail properties on 25 acres in the Bond Hill neighborhood here at the Reading Road and Seymour Avenue intersection, to prepare for a planned $75 million mixed-use project.
The property was the site of the former Swifton Commons about four decades ago, the first open-air mall to open in the city. The 400,000-sq.-ft. mall was purchased by Allen Temple Real Estate Foundation in the late 1990s and renamed Jordan Crossing, but the property had less than a dozen commercial tenants.
The port authority recently purchased the site, and is now preparing and marketing the property for private development of office, residential, retail and a future hotel.
Laura Brunner, president and CEO of the authority, says in a statement that this is first step in a several-year process to convert this key intersection back into a vibrant place to work, shop and live. “The Port Authority is prepared to be creative in how we work with the community to achieve a development that creates jobs and a sense of place,” she says.