CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati starts demolition tomorrow on a West End site that will someday hold a $300 million development. But it’s also closing in on a land deal that would be key to making the project happen, according to a tenant who says he is being evicted to make way for the sale.
Ahmed Hmoud, owner of Liberty Used Tires LLC, said he was told to move his business by Feb. 28 as a condition of FC Cincinnati’s purchase of the building. Hmoud gave WCPO 9 News a copy of the eviction notice from Omran & Raid LLC. It owns 6-tenths of an acre north of TQL Stadium, according to Hamilton County property records.
FC Cincinnati declined to comment on the eviction and pending sale. The man who signed the eviction notice, Raid Ahmed, also declined to confirm the sale. But he said Hmoud is on a month-to-month lease.
“We want the building back,” he added.
FC Cincinnati has made no secret of its plan to fill the blocks north of TQL stadium with a hotel, apartments, retail and office space. But the 8.5-acre project it has described for the site don’t yet match the roughly six acres it has already acquired. That’s what makes the commercial holdings of Omran Raid LLC so important. It’s in the middle of West Liberty Street between Central Parkway and John Street. Its purchase would leave just a few parcels yet to be acquired.
“I love this location,” Hmoud said. “We are close to Kentucky. We’re close to downtown.”
The Western Hills resident claims his landlord kept promising to sign a 15-year lease but never did. He also claims he was promised relocation help if FC Cincinnati bought the building. Ahmed denies that.
“That was like years ago. If this property sells to FCC they will be able to help you to relocate your business to different location,” Hmoud claims his landlord told him. “And when he evicted me just last week, he told me, ‘Their only condition to buy this property is to empty everything, because they do not want to deal with you.’”
Hmoud claims representatives of FC Cincinnati inspected the building this week but wouldn’t discuss relocation assistance.
“I don’t know how they can sleep, just kicking me on the street and they got millions,” Hmoud said. “They cannot offer anything to me to support me or to move my business to different location.”
Across the street at Ollie’s Trolley, owner Marvin Smith is enjoying what FC Cincinnati brought to the neighborhood so far.
“The stadium’s been good. The customers are good,” Smith said. “The games start at 7:30. People come here at 3:30 and sit here until quarter to 7, drinking beer and eating my burgers and ribs and everything, every game day.”
But he doesn’t like everything he sees with FC Cincinnati.
“I’m pro-development, always have been,” Smith said. “I supported the soccer stadium. I supported cleaning up Central Avenue and all that. I don’t support coming in and throwing out small businesses. It’s like business gentrification.”
Smith thinks FC Cincinnati could do more to help tenants relocated by its development, starting with Hmoud.
“Help him move,” Smith said. “Don’t just all of a sudden say, ‘He’s got to be someplace by the 28th of this month.’”
