Tarek El Moussa responds to uproar surrounding evictions in North Hollywood

HGTV star Tarek El Moussa addressed the uproar as a controversial highrise project threatens to displace several families living in rent-controlled homes.

"Even though I am being dragged for false accusations and misconceptions, my intentions are to do good, and I hope that we can focus on the positive and the facts," El Moussa wrote in an Instagram post on Friday.

The "Flip or Flop" star said that he is one of the partners involved in the proposed building dubbed, NOHO138. He claimed that the tenants were evicted by the current owner of the property and neither his investment company, TEM Capital, nor their partners were involved in the Ellis Act relocations.

"I am not evicting anyone. We did not issue the Ellis Act relocation documents," he wrote in the post. 

In a pitch video for the highrise project, El Moussa said his plan was to tear down the existing structures to make way for the building, which would be "the biggest flip" of his life. 

While Los Angeles County is in need of more housing, the residents living on the property along the 11100 block of Hartsook Street raised their concerns about finding affordable housing after their little, rent-controlled apartments were razed.

"It was really triggering and traumatic and totally ignoring the fact that people still lived here," said tenant Clare Letmon.

Plans for the new building call for 14 of the 138 apartments to be designated as low-income units. El Moussa added that the project followed the Los Angeles City code. 

"The entire process has been and will continue to be handled justly through the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) and a legal relocation advisor in order to make 100% sure the relocation is performed according to the law, and that the existing tenants are treated respectfully and lawfully," TEM Capital said in a statement posted on the website for the project.

Construction of NOHO138 is expected to start in 2024.