A group of tenants who have to move out of buildings owned by FC Cincinnati as the team builds a West End stadium is making new demands of the team.

Among them: Build new housing for them and pay "proper compensation."

They offered no specific amount of money or exactly where the team should build affordable housing.

The letter, from Wade Street & Central Avenue Tenants United, was sent by Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Executive Director Josh Spring, to the public Monday night.

"We should continue to live in 421 Wade and 1559 Central until this replacement housing is completed and each of us has suitable housing and FCC should pay all moving costs and proper compensation to tenants," the letter said.

The deadline to vacate the properties is May 31. Team lawyers have publicly said nobody will be kicked out on that date, though people need to find new housing.

The fight comes in part because when FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding lobbied Cincinnati City Council for taxpayer help and approval to build the stadium in the West End, he promised no residents would be displaced. It's a catchy soundbite that resonated, but at the time Berding was answering questions from City West residents who feared they might have to move. The project does not displace residents of City West, which is adjacent to but west of the stadium site.

FC Cincinnati, as part of a community benefits agreement for the stadium, donated $100,000 for an emergency housing fund, paid $150,000 for a housing study of the neighborhood and work related to it. Berding has said the team is helping the residents find new housing.

Meetings the new demands, Berding said Monday night, is not possible.

"I was told via the building manager that tenants were waiting for a larger payout, an amount that was $40,000," Berding said.

He accused Spring of organizing the tenants, who have short-term leases, and encouraging them to demand compensation before agreeing to move out, despite leases that will expire. The tenants, in the letter, said they are speaking for themselves.

"Legal counsel representing the tenants has also consistently asked for ‘appropriate compensation’ in numerous emails to the general counsel of FC Cincinnati dating back to April 30," Berding said. "We respect the residents do not want to move, but as month-to-month tenants in buildings that have been sold, they can accept our offers of help, but legally they cannot choose to stay. Josh should publicly clarify what amount of money is appropriate compensation."

Spring said $40,000 is not correct and that the group has not named a specific amount of compensation.

"The group is focused on housing," Spring told The Enquirer.

Roughly 14 tenants of 421 Wade St., and 1559 Central Ave. have known they have to move since February. They pleaded their case to the public, garnering the attention of Cincinnati City Council, which has the power to deny the team a zoning change for the stadium's entrance.

The zoning approval is set to come to council next week. Council on April 23 passed a motion asking the team to keep the Central Avenue property, since it's not needed for the stadium at the moment, and allow all the displaced tenants to live there. Since it's a motion, it's not binding but is a signal council wants the team to help the residents.

The team has declined to do that, saying it is not in the affordable housing business.

Twelve tenants remain. Among them Mary Page, a 99-year-old bedridden woman who has lived in the West End for decades.

The team and the property manager have diligently communicated with tenants on the need to relocate and have made offers of support to assist in relocation, team spokeswoman Anne Sesler said Monday before the letter had been sent out.

"The buildings will be closed-down and will not be used for residential housing," Sesler said. "Staying in the buildings is not an option."

The letter said Berding and FC Cincinnati officials "must not understand the gravity of this situation."

"They are threatening our homes, our stability and our physical and mental health," the letter said. "We live where we live because we like our neighborhood, we like our streets, we have relationships with our neighbors, our kids go to school and play nearby, we have close family and friends nearby, we can financially afford our current homes, our jobs are close by, we have access to transportation and our medical care can easily reach us."