Hello everyone, I was trying to get a plaza patio accepted, unfortunately my appeal got rejected because it lacked “””uniqueness””” which I personally think that’s a goofy reason, since it’s a location for people to come meet and socialize.
It’s already an area that seems to have a lot of others players frequent, since there’s a gym there that changes teams constantly (I play Pokemon Go) but there’s no way to really meet up with them since I think most pull up in their cars in the parking lot.
I really do believe that having another spot in an area already dedicated to resting will encourage more people to hang out there and meet. Niantic Wayfarer
Idk if I should name it something else, since it seemed like the appeal was fixated on it being a “generic patio” and that it lacked “uniqueness” so idk if I should show the plants more? Or should I really emphasize how it’s a great place to meet and socialize? It doesn’t seem like they really cared as much about that tho 
Is it possible to see the whole nomination? Photo, surrounding, loc, supporting information, etc?
But i guess you need to work on photo to make it distinct enough for reviewer to see.
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I’m probably going to walk back up there in a little bit to play so I can get more pictures then as well. I can’t remember if any of the plants have any plaques or not
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I recently had a picnic area at a shopping mall accepted by the community, and I really don’t see any issue with this nomination. Those picnic tables even look similar to the permanent ones at the picnic area that I submitted. Street View even shows the tables being there since at least May 2015, and even though Street View hasn’t been updated since Nov 2020 here, they appear permanent.
I think in warmer weather areas, some reviewers reject picnic tables like this because they see them as commonplace, but even where I live, in the Upper Midwest, we have many picnic areas and tables, and not just in our parks, that are open to the public. Reviewers in your area might not see this as a great place to be social and may have rejected others in the past, and it’s possible that the appeals team member didn’t see this as a great place to be social with others and agreed with the reviewers.
Hopefully staff takes a look at this one, as I see nothing wrong with it. They have asked us to share appeal decisions we don’t agree with.
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This is my suggestion, since i see small park next to the picnic table, maybe you can package it as mini park in plaza. I am not sure if u can take photo with that park in background.
Yeah I’ve seen other places like this accepted and even plaza signs, which count as a place to meet, so I feel like this is an even better place to meet than the base of a sign yknow? Maybe I just need to work the pictures better, maybe go when there’s better lighting?
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The main photo isn’t bad, as it shows the picnic tables in the plaza, and again, they are on Street View so they appear permanent.
You may want to hold off on submitting again, as sometimes staff will reverse an appeals team decision. There’s no guarantee, but this seems like a good candidate. Staff do monitor the forums, which is why it may be best to wait to see if they reverse the decision.
Oh like the planters and benches?? That possibly could work 
For sure, I’ll hold off on this one for a little bit then
Hello,
This looks a good location and it must have stood a good chance of being accepted.
For resubmission I would try to get more even lighting - the bright /shadow contrast is possibly not helping the tables stand out.
Crop a picture so that the tables are dominating.
Less things that are not relevant and more of what is. You didnt give the title. Patio is not a word I would use to describe this sort of public space but I would like to know what a Californian thinks.
Your description could do with a bit more Trees and picnic tables make this quiet sunny corner a great place to meet, eat, and chat with friends.
Or perhaps in this area it is worth putting the emphasis on shady spot.
The supplementary can contain references to what has been said about the longevity of it on satellite view etc.
Good luck
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I named it Crossroads Patio, since this shopping center is the Crossroads shopping center and it’s like a little eating patio you’d usually see attached to a restaurant but it’s more so for the center as a whole. I feel like most people around here would call it a patio, I know me and my friends call it an alley, but that’s kinda vague for what it offers.
I was thinking the picture could’ve been better too tbh cause I didn’t really like the harsh way the shadow looked, it usually gets shady around the afternoon portion of the day so it becomes a relaxing place to sit and cool off. Also it does have space heaters along the other side of the building closer to the picnic tables so it makes it a good place to relax at year round, so maybe I can include that in the picture or description.
What else would be a good title description for this area? I feel like patio is suitable especially for regional dialect, since I feel like rest spot applies more for parks and trails or on long highway stretches.
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From Maps, this appears to be an eating area for Jersey Mike’s customers.
I don’t mind the name “Patio” if it truly is a dining area for the entire shopping center, but this seems like it is just part of the chain restaurant, and I don’t know if I would consider it eligible on its own as such.
It’s actually closer to the Waba grill, where the square part of the building is the entrance for waba grill, and jersey mikes is to the left of waba; ut it is open for whoever is in the plaza since I’ll see shoppers stop by and employees from local businesses relax there too.
This is the set up of the businesses in the area here. There are also tables set up outside of Jersey mikes specifically so they already have their own dedicated “patio” area
Google Maps doesn’t always place places correctly on satellite view, and sometimes this is due to what address is provided; not all include the correct or full address, such as the suite number.
On Street View, this is closer to Waba Grill, and Jersey Mike’s actually has tables outside in front. Here’s Street View showing that it’s closer to Waba Grill, and to me, it does look like a general use area and not exclusive to Waba Grill.
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Yes exactly! I have a post above with some screen shots that show the table and where the entrance to each business is approximately
Just pointing out what it looks like on Maps, and what you will have to overcome for reviewers to accept. Use the insight, or don’t. Good luck to you if you decide to resubmit.
Yeah I’ll take a better, more clear, and visually appealing picture in the resubmission, and include the satellite image as support that it’s a general patio for the plaza and not one dedicated for a specific business. I imagine it’s better to upload a photo than to take one on the spot, right?
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i always take my photos first and look through them in my gallery before i make a nomination. i can straighten and crop if need be. i usually crop to 1:1 since that looks good in game, but i don’t
always crop to square if that doesn’t look best. but that way i don’t have any surprises like thumbs over the lens or license plates, etc.
i do not recommend using the maps screenshot for supporting. you can mention what you are saying about the satellite view not showing the other restaurant, but you should try to take a photo that shows that this is not just a single restaurant’s patio. using a photo that you didn’t take yourself can sometimes be a red flag to reviewers, and may have them leaning towards reject.
you could also add a google maps label yourself for the other restaurant
lol this just updated for me and now i see WaBa Grill
I also wanted to mention this other Google label I see:
I can’t find it from street view, but if this is here, exercise businesses meet criteria - for exercise at the very least, and some for exercise, exploration, and being social all three.
I find that the community may incorrectly reject these as “generic business” but the appeals team will put them through. You should check out submitting that.
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