Tarek El Moussa is breaking his silence after tenants of a North Hollywood, Calif. community expressed their concerns over his $50 million development called NoHo 138.
The Flipping El Moussas star’s massive project — which will be handled by his investment company, TEM Capital; his wife and HGTV costar Heather’s company, HEM Capital, and other partners —requires tearing down several bungalows on the site in order to construct a 138-unit luxury apartment complex.
The development has sparked concerns from the Hartsook Tenant Association, as it will require all remaining tenants to relocate before construction is expected to begin in 2024.
According to a post on the association’s official Instagram, residents expressed that the project “will destroy their homes and inevitably displace the tenants.” Another post claims that Tarek is “swooping in on a vulnerable but vindicated set of tenants.”
PEOPLE reached out to several tenants, who had not replied by the time of publishing.
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NoHo 138’s website states that “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.”
It also claims members on the development team introduced themselves to residents in March “to assure them the process will be handled with the utmost respect” and mentions that “monetary compensation will be offered” to those who wish to vacate early.
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Tarek El Moussa and wife Heather attend the People’s Choice Awards together in December 2022.
Rob Latour/Shutterstock
In his statement on Friday, Tarek says that he wants to clear up the “false accusations and misconceptions” he is being “dragged” for, regarding claims he’s personally forcing the Hartsook community out of their home.
“Notices to the tenants were served by the current owner, not by me or the partners of NoHo 138,” he explains. “I am not evicting anyone. We did not issue the Ellis Act relocation documents.”
The Ellis Act is a California state law that allows landlords to legally “go out of business” and evict tenants at any given time, according to the Los Angeles Housing Department.
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Tarek also said that he and his partners have been trying to arrange a meeting with the tenants to have an “amicable discussion regarding final move out agreements.”
He continues: “Our intentions are to work with the tenants to offer a great opportunity for them while helping to improve the neighborhood.” Among those opportunities, Tarek says, are more jobs created through the construction process and increased city tax revenue that will benefit “homeless programs and other socially impactful programs,” as well as the creation of new parking spaces that will “reduce the impact of street parking.”
The HGTV star stated that the complex will include 14 low income units and that the tenants who already live in the area will have an opportunity to move back once the project is completed.
Hartsook residents recently had to deal with another struggle in their community after a fire was intentionally set at the hands of their landlord, Arthur Raffey Aslanian. According to the L.A. Times, Aslanian hired someone to set the fire in an effort to make his tenants leave the property.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed the landlord was found guilty for arson in addition to murder-for-hire plots against two men — among them, his former lawyer — in a July press release.
Partners of NoHo 138 acknowledged Aslanian’s criminal record on the project website and added that they “do not have any involvement, connection or relationship with the seller, nor will they have any relationship in the future following the property transfer.”
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Source: HIS Education