Niantic seems to have lost the plot entirely

No, Aaron. Read the linked topic.

They’re not single-family PRP but multi-family PRP. So unless you’re going to move the goalposts all of a sudden and say wayspots aren’t allowed on ANY kind of PRP, there is zero reason for these to be removed.

Brief reminder of what the criteria clarifications say: Private Residences, Farmland & K-12

A prominent artistic display on the outside wall or in a shared space of an apartment or otherwise shared dwelling building, like the one pictured above, are eligible.

It’s literally right there in the rulebook.