I just got denied for a pokestop for my neighborhood sign. There are many kids in the neighborhood who play - including my kid - and no nearby pokestops. I am considering buying a free public library to put in my yard to get something nearby so all of us parents don’t have to drive our kids down the road to play. Any advice on the naming/photo/description to get a neighborhood sign accepted? I’m in charlotte btw. Not very very from Matthews.
Do not put it in your yard. It will be ineligible for being on SFPRP - Single Family Private Residential Property. Work with your community and find a common area where you are allowed to set it up. Make sure you know about S2 cells and Pokemon Go before going to any expense. If you aren’t familiar with them, here is a good article:
https://pokemongohub.net/post/article/comprehensive-guide-s2-cells-pokemon-go/
5 Likes
There is no eligible common area. It is a very small subdivision. There is a sidewalk that leads to a greenway about half a mile down that lot’s of people use, but there isn’t anything that I’m willing for my kids (7-10) to walk to on their own - other than the neighborhood entrance sign. I had the thought to do some work around the neighborhood sign and call it more of a community garden. I’m at a loss.
The neighborhood sign might work as a good site for the LFL if the community will allow it. I can look up the area if you want to give a location, but don’t feel you need to reveal it in a public forum like this. If there is nothing anywhere near, then S2 cells should not be an issue.
5 Likes
Cyndiepooh give a very good advice. I suggest you try it.
4 Likes
Hi @fiyahDancer
Welcome to the forum 
I’ve moved your topic into an own thread.
2 Likes
It sounds like you live in a very typical suburban area, where there are mainly just SFPRP in the area and not much elase. Unfortunately, this is how many of these neighborhoods in the US are designed, with not many things around that meet criteria or are in eligible locations. It could be that the neighborhood was just designed this way by the developer, or zoning laws may only allow homes here.
Personally, I live in an older neighborhood of apartment buildings, and we don’t have many of the newer ammentities that are being put in with newer apartment buildings, like playgrounds, dog parks, pools, fitness rooms, etc. All we have are the buildings with apartments, nothing that meets criteria, so I do have to play elsewhere.
1 Like
I’ll take a look at the S2 information. That said, the area in question is a typical cookie-cutter subdivision just outside of Uptown Charlotte. The developers packed in as many houses as possible, leaving no space for a clubhouse, green space, pool, or any kind of shared community feature. It’s a classic example of suburban sprawl—dense housing with very little else.
The nearby PokéStops don’t add much, either. In surrounding neighborhoods where I sometimes take my kids, most of the stops are things like mailboxes, Little Free Libraries, or small garden statues—many of which no longer even exist. The only notable location within walking distance is across a busy intersection, where there’s a Dynamax location at the entrance to an apartment complex.
I originally posted in the thread because someone else from Matthews, a suburb of Charlotte where I live, mentioned that there’s not much of interest nearby—unless you count neighborhood entrance signs. And I agree with that.
Now, my opinion may not carry a lot of weight, but here’s something to consider: if Niantic is actively adding Dynamax locations at places like Walmart and McDonald’s—which clearly do not meet any meaningful criteria for uniqueness—then neighborhood entrance signs deserve even more consideration. Those commercial locations are being added specifically to improve availability and expand places to play.
But if improving accessibility is the goal, then neighborhood signs are an ideal solution. Each one is unique to its community—there’s literally only one sign like that per neighborhood. Saying they shouldn’t be eligible just because many neighborhoods have signs is like saying libraries shouldn’t count because every town has one. The category may be common, but the individual locations are distinct.
I hear you. But the goal of Pokemon Go has been to get players to GO. Where I live, every street has one of these huge brick “neighborhood” signs. I do want a clarification on these, as I can easily use up all my nominations on ones I can walk to, if I felt they met criteria, or if the Wayfarer team decides they do.
2 Likes
Hey @fiyahDancer I’m in Charlotte and I have had a lot of success with your specific situation. I’d love to help you out. Can you post the coords of where this is in Matthews?
1 Like
Thank you! We are technically in Charlotte, but Matthews is typically where I have to drive my kids to play. Hopefully the link below is what you need. There are constantly joggers/bikers on this sidewalk as there is a greenway entrance further down the road - so it seems like it would be a good example of a good place used for exercise - as it is regularly used for exercise. Which is going somewhere.
Edited to add: This is also where the school bus picks up all the kids for the neighborhood - so people do congregate there at least twice a day.
Funny, I was just over that way the other day, I was at MARA for the baseball and softball. Ok, this is tricky. I don’t think I post my email here or it will get deleted. If you are on Discord or Campfire. Search my name -BlameJamal and you should be able to find me. We can DM and I can DEF help you. I also have a very active friend that lives off of Providence Rd. that can help as well. Act fast before this gets deleted!!! lolol
3 Likes
It is not popping up for me. This is my campfire name too. Which groups are you in and I’ll see if I can find you that way,
1 Like
I was able to get our neighborhood sign approved. People originally denied it but when I appealed it, Niantic approved it! There are lots of other neighborhood signs around that are not pokestops but I’m not willing to push my luck so I stopped while I was ahead. Just make sure not to mention pokemongo or “adding it as a pokestop” like I did. Niantic uses this platform for its other games as well so it will get denied for that too. Rookie mistake haha
Here’s the pics for you to see what I created
1 Like
Thank you for this post. I have been saying that we see plenty of posts where the appeals team got it wrong when they reject, but we rarely see one where they got it wrong when they accept.
2 Likes
That sign looks like a perfect pokestop, sometimes it takes multiple try’s to get one to go through. I’ve had memorial benches rejected for years where as neighbouring towns had ton of them all along their walkways and beaches. Then all of sudden they started getting approved in my town this year and I started re submitting them and now there are lots of them everywhere. Little Free Libraries are easy to make, no need to buy one and they always go through in my town as long as they are in a safe place along a sidewalk. Most are overflowing with books so it’s good to move some to a new library.
2 Likes
Thats just how community review works. Some people might call it inconsistency, but reviewer are told to use his/her best judgement and local knowledge. Some local sign might also better than other.