298 Mac Donough Street, Brooklyn, NY 11233

This four-story, three-unit old law tenement building at 298 Mac Donough Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, owned by Stephan Gruben, has experienced recurring sanitation issues over the past several years, particularly related to food establishment concerns. Between 2019 and 2024, there were multiple Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) complaints regarding rodents, insects, and garbage, with at least six recorded incidents between 2020 and 2024.

A food poisoning incident was reported in 2019 and another in 2023, though the 2019 case was classified as "In Progress." The building's sanitation challenges were formally addressed in 2019 when the Department of Health issued written notification to the owner regarding potential violations, and several complaints from 2020-2024 were marked as "administratively closed" after inspections. Despite these concerns, it's worth noting that the building has maintained an active bedbug-free record, with all bedbug reports from 2020 through mid-2025 showing zero infested, eradicated, or re-infested units.

The property has undergone regular rodent inspections, with initial inspections in 2018, 2019, and 2022 showing rat activity, though subsequent inspections in 2024 and 2025 passed without violations. Building complaints from the Department of Buildings in 2021 and 2023 regarding unsafe/illegal demolition and special operations compliance both resulted in inspections that found no violations. While the property has faced recurring sanitation issues, the recent successful rodent inspections and absence of bedbug infestations in the past three years indicate some improvement in overall pest management.