147-13 Hillside Avenue, Queens, NY 11435

The three-unit residential building at 147-13 Hillside Avenue in Briarwood, owned by Donato Merino, has recently experienced several maintenance issues, with the most significant cluster of complaints occurring in late May 2025. During this period, three separate complaints were filed and investigated by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), including reports of unsanitary garbage/recycling storage conditions, broken window guards (classified as an emergency), and missing signage - though inspectors found no violations of housing laws that would warrant further action.

Additionally, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has an open complaint from May 2025 regarding potential food establishment violations, following two food safety-related complaints from June 2023 involving bare-hand food contact and food contamination, which were subsequently addressed and closed. The property has a documented history dating back to its construction in 1931, including an active Department of Buildings (DOB) complaint regarding an illegal storefront sign from 2018, and a closed complaint from April 2023 concerning improper vent/exhaust conditions, though no violations were substantiated upon inspection.

A boiler inspection violation was issued in January 2020 for failure to submit the 2017 annual inspection report, but was dismissed later that year. Of particular concern are the rodent inspections from 2010, which revealed reports of rat activity and failed compliance inspections - though these incidents are quite dated and likely not indicative of current conditions. The building is classified as a three-story, two-family house and has been under its current ownership for an extended period, with the majority of recent complaints focusing on safety and sanitation issues rather than structural or systems-related problems.