Hi, I’m looking for help with how to better this nomination. It was rejected for being a private residence, but its right on the sidewalk in the parking strip. Thanks for any suggestions.
Name: Pokeball Free Little Library
Description: This is a new free little library in the neighborhood. Its a nice neighborood to walk through and people often stop to get books for their families. Free little libraries are great community spaces.
Supplemental information: This is a local spot in the neighborood. The book box is easily accessed from the sidewalk and it has a visually unique design. The kids in the neighborhood love this free little library and it has a lot of books for all ages. It is a safe space to walk. There is a good amount of walkers.
Location: 45.5284508, -122.6163265
Reason Rejected: “Private Residence or Farm”
In my neighborhood, this would be SFPRP (single family private residential property) in front of a house, but I know a lot of folks will say their local laws declare the strip between the sidewalk and the road as public property. The swings really make it look like the homeowner considers this their property. If you are certain this is eligible and have no guilty conscious about putting a game location in front of someone’s home and potentially bothering them, you can either try to resubmit including a section about the land laws there in the supporting statement or appeal this to Niantic. You get 2 appeals, each on a 20 day timer before you get it back to use again.
4 Likes
I have to agree. Since the homeowner placed children’s swings there, if I lived there I would NOT want people coming to hang out near where my kids play in my front yard.
also for future reference, i avoid saying “new” in the description. in a few years, it won’t be new anymore. that isn’t a rejection reason though.
2 Likes
Funny. In my country and the one I grew up in, there would be no way one could declare public greenery on the other side of the sidewalk private property. You can put objects there if you want, but they immediately are for public use. The property stops where the sidewalk begins.
The idea of a sidewalk through your front yard strikes me as very weird.
This might be one of those examples where cultural reference is pretty important.
1 Like
The town has the right to put a sidewalk through my front yard if they wish. I don’t think they ever will here. We do have a fire hydrant and electrical boxes. But it is our yard.
2 Likes
Yes, it is for sure a public right of way.
Could that by any chance be America? Or Australia maybe? I can’t even imagine something like that in the Netherlands or Germany.
On the other hand, in Germany you are responsible for the public boardwalks around your house (free of weeds and snow) which still strikes me as odd. It does not make them private property though.
1 Like
yes, usa, but i think it even varies state to state.
1 Like
I think what defines a property does vary enormously around the world. Different attitudes towards space around you.
5 Likes
in my city, the grass part after the sidewalk are public and owned by city.
we have many pokestops in those area because of art projects and other projects. metal sculptures and other stuff on public part. other better option is move the little library to public place, if you happen to own the little library.
Yeah but it seems they do want people to come with the LFL there 
. In my state that’s the towns property but I still got mow it.
They would for the purpose the LFL and swing serves, unsure if they would also welcome other activities (AR games) and for whom. The LFL would still serve the same purpose if at the exterior wall or inside the lawn but still a rejection for SFPRP.
There may be areas where custodianship is given but ownership is not. Also the right to add objects without written consent to the local council if public property.
I see how reviewers would err to reject without further proof that it isn’t part of the SFPRP or not. Just as how I see it is impractical to expect casual submitters to link local laws saying the easement are still public property. Good advice for people reading here, I just don’t expect casual Wayfarers to do that from the get-go.
I see how it could be rejected but I would 100% submit this. And ,build one just like it if the wife would let me ( I have asked 
).
My husband built it and we love it so much.
1 Like
It is a public sidewalk. You would not have to leave public property.
1 Like
I have had to submit things more than once to get them in. Lots of things are a roll of the dice!
It’s still part of your yard. In Portland, like many places across the US, homeowners are fully legally responsible for the land all the way to the curb.
For me, in a place where one’s land and responsibilities end at the public side walk or other boundary and the city or another entity is responsible for the little strip of land next to the street, that could be argued to be public.
But when the little strip of land is fully the homeowner’s responsibility, you can’t say it is public. You have the legal responsibility to maintain it, landscape it, repair it. If you let it go, the city will cite you.
The fact that there can be public right of way to use the sidewalk doesn’t negate the homeowner’s rights and responsibility.
1 Like
Some parts of the world these are public property, so you can’t saw they are ineligible everywhere. I’ve personally have put 10-15 of these in the game on road verges.
2 Likes
