Even before FC Cincinnati announced it would build a stadium in the West End, real estate speculators swooped into the historic black neighborhood trying to scoop up property as cheap as possible.

After three people made offers to Fred Berger last year about buying his eight-unit buildings at 421 Wade St. and 1559 Central Ave., he knew it was time to sell.

In this case the buyer ended up being FC Cincinnati itself. At first Berger didn't know that, but Berger thought team officials would be as concerned about his tenants as he was because they had signed a community benefits agreement with the neighborhood and promised nobody would be displaced for the stadium itself.

Berger pledged to help tenants move, including 99-year-old Mary Page, who he says has agreed to move into another property he owns. Instead of a 30-day vacate notice, Berger gave them 70 days.

But then, last week, Page's family spoke out and said she was being displaced. Community activists and some in City Hall are concerned.

"There is a time when a building has to move and this is it," Berger said. "We did a lot to help tenants and we're still doing a lot. It would have been impossible to live there, so close to the stadium."

Page's niece, Kim Dillard, said her aunt has lived in the building for years and in the West End and Downtown ever longer. Page is now bedridden.

"At 99 years old you’re not thinking about uprooting," said Dillard, 58, of Mount Auburn. "She lives by herself. She always has. And she likes to live by herself. We make sure she has round-the-clock care."

Dillard said recent weeks of trying to find a new place have been "stressful and overwhelming." Yes, they found one, but with steps, it's not a good fit. Dillard doesn't feel good about it.

"I’m trying to figure to how to do this and keep her comfortable," Dillard said.

FC Cincinnati was awarded a Major League Soccer franchise last year and announced it was building a $250 million stadium in the West End. City Council approved the idea and is helping with nearly $35 million to improve infrastructure around the stadium.

Residents of the two buildings have formed a group called Fight Back Cincinnati: Wade and Central Tenants United.

The group, with Page, is holding a 4 p.m. press conference Tuesday, to "gather publicly make demands of Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati."

The press release was issued by the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition.

Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard is concerned, too. She is hosting a conversation on the status of housing in the West End in the Equity, Inclusion, Youth, & the Arts Committee that she oversees at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

“People who are closest to the pain should have the most power," Dennard said. "I campaigned on this idea and am committed to listening to the West End to help find solutions for what’s happening there.”

Former Mayor Mark Mallory, who is the team's director of community development, said, "Residents have all been given options for housing in the West End by their current landlord. We are pulling together a professional working group to find a better location for Ms. Page. There is no rush to move her anytime soon."

More:Cincinnati City Council approves rezoning for FC Cincinnati stadium in West End - and controversial help for a displaced restaurateur

More:City strikes deal to sell FC Cincinnati land for West End stadium

Not the first time

This isn't the first time FC Cincinnati has been called out for displacing a resident, though it was not necessarily the team's fault. For months, Monica Williams, who owned the restaurant Just Cookin' on 15th Street complained she kicked out her rented restaurant space make way for the stadium. FC Cincinnati paid for the building and was not under an obligation to help her.

Still, it gave Williams $20,000, but she and advocates swarmed City Hall, saying it wasn't enough.

Berding promised nobody would be displaced for the stadium itself, which is being built on land where mostly mostly vacant buildings sat.

When City Council refused to approve zoning for the stadium unless Williams was happy, FC Cincinnati and the city worked out a deal to help keep Williams in the West End.

Under terms of the deal with Williams, the Greater Cincinnati Redevelopment Authority will help Williams secure a food truck and a spot to park it in the West End and work until a permanent space can be found. To do that, the city is setting aside $75,000 and FC Cincinnati $150,000 to help with that.

When a large valuable development goes in, it's virtually impossible to keep everything the same around it. And the West End is one of Cincinnati's historic black neighborhoods, torn apart by highways and years of neglect. The redevelopment authority is working to keep residents in the neighborhood.

It signed a community benefits agreement in which they'll invest $6.5 million into the West End neighborhood over 30 years, $700,000 throughout this year.