Queens residents say the city is neglecting their street. Officials say it's not the city's property.
Neighbors in Springfield Gardens, Queens, say their street in a major eyesore that is seemingly overlooked by the city.
When CBS News New York's Elle McLogan went searching for answers, she made a surprising discovery that could be the key to turning things around.
Defoe Street residents frustrated by potholes, litter, flooding
For the tight-knit neighbors on Defoe Street, daily life means navigating cracked pavement with layers of dirt, piles of litter and sidewalks that lead nowhere. They say they're living on a street the city forgot.
"Ever since I've stepped foot on Defoe, this entire block has just been neglected," seven-year resident Ashley Adams said. "They're choosing just to skip over us."
"It's potholes galore. When it rains, this whole area gets really flooded," Jonathan Persaud said.
Just around the corner is a middle school.
"We have students that walk up and down Defoe," Adams said. "And who's to say that they're not at risk of getting hurt or tripping or any of that?"
They don't understand why years of 311 complaints seem lost in the void.
"It's very sad, and it brings the value of the homes down," Tonya Holley said.
Nesta Parchment has drawn up a petition for repairs for a second time. He says he circulated the first one 20 years ago.
"I'm just very confused because they're doing all the roads, and the worst one in our area has not been touched," Persaud said.
The street that doesn't exist
The city told CBS News New York there's an unexpected reason behind the rubble on Defoe Street — it's not city property.
"For this particular street, believe it or not, there's no title to it. No one owns it right now," Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said.
Richard says it slipped through the cracks and was never officially mapped, and because it's nobody's property, it's nobody's job.
"But I can assure you that it's in my power to map the street to turn it public," Richards said. "And then, we can begin to make sure that it gets the proper repairs and TLC that it deserves."
The borough president says he has already begun the legal process to get this street converted to city property. He says that can take months, but when it's complete, he is confident these neighbors will get their brand new street.
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