294 Powers Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211

294 Powers Street is a three-story, four-unit Old Law Tenement building constructed in 1920 in East Williamsburg, currently owned by H Powers LLC. The building has experienced several significant issues over the past five years, with the most concerning being an illegal conversion situation in late 2021 involving the first-floor retail space and cellar level, which resulted in multiple active ECB violations with $1,250 penalties each for illegal occupancy and work without permits. During this period, there were also emergency complaints filed regarding mold conditions in November 2021, though HPD was unable to gain access for inspection.

The building faced multiple Department of Buildings complaints between 2019-2021, including concerns about egress, commercial use in a residential zone, and drainage issues, though most inspections resulted in no violations being warranted or the inspector being unable to gain access. On a positive note, the building has demonstrated recent compliance with pest control measures, with annual bedbug reports from 2022-2024 showing zero infested units. Most recent inspections for rodent conditions in 2020 and 2023 resulted in passing grades.

However, there remains an active ECB violation from 2022 regarding failure to certify correction of immediately hazardous violations, which was downgraded to Class 2 or 3. The property has also maintained compliance with annual bedbug reporting requirements since 2022, showing no current infestation issues, though the presence of past moisture and mold complaints indicates historical maintenance challenges. While the building has passed recent health inspections with no violations found, the pattern of illegal conversions and access issues during inspections suggests some ongoing challenges with property access for regulatory inspections.