The last remaining residents living in two buildings purchased last year by FC Cincinnati near its coming West End Major League Soccer stadium have moved in to new homes, according to some of those residents and the team.
The buildings will be demolished to make way for a coming parking garage Hamilton County agreed to construct for the stadium, according to the team.
In April, CityBeat published a story about residents of 421 Wade St. and 1559 Central Ave. who were informed the previous February that they would need to move after a limited liability corporation owned by FC Cincinnati purchased the buildings they lived in.
The revelation — after FCC President Jeff Berding pledged no one would be displaced due to the stadium — eventually set off wrangling between Cincinnati City Council, activists groups and the team as to the proper response to the situation.
On May 30, the residents and the team signed an agreement giving the former until Jan. 31 to move.
Family of Mary Francis Page, the 99-year-old woman who faced relocation, says the search was long and complex, but that she has secured new housing and moved into it Friday aided by an ambulance. Page is partially bedridden. Page's niece, Kim Dillard, asked that media give the family privacy as Page moved.
Other residents have also relocated, the team says.
"All tenants have moved to new housing they selected in a neighborhood of their choice," a statement from the team reads. "FCC provided financial and other supports to assist tenants in their relocation.
"The Wade St. and Central Ave. buildings will be demolished as they are located on the future site of the parking garage. FCC will immediately begin work to create the pad-ready site and turn over to Hamilton County on March 1, 2020 for garage construction. The garage will open for the 2021 season."
