I have not received any rejection email, in fact, the pokestop we nominated is still listed as accepted on my wayfarer contributions page. The stop itself has completely disappeared. It’s at a little free library that is close to our house. Our kids worked really hard to make it a special place, right along the public sidewalk. We have two special needs children and this poke stop was incredibly special to them. How can we get it restored?
The Borrow
Lincoln, Nebraska
USA
[Edited to remove location]
That’s a really neat looking Little Free Library!
Unfortunately, Niantic has a strong stance against having Wayspots (that may become PokéStops) on private residential property. It appears that this was removed for this reason.
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The pokestop is on the public sidewalk next to the library.
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It may be accessible from the sidewalk but it appears to be on/within the private land.
This is a blanket rule that can’t be negotiated as the home/landowner.
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Is there anything that can be done to restore it?
unfortunately not, it is not eligible to be a wayspot.
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It says that LFL are eligible if they are accessible and not dangerous. Which is why I thought it was fine. I was careful to put the coordinates on the public sidewalk.
How do removals like this happen? Did someone report it? It was safe and approved and well loved. Accessible to everyone. Why was it removed?
I realize that there are people who will think I sound petulant, but honestly, this was the absolute highlight for my kids who had been stuck on lockdown throughout covid because they are medically fragile. They were so proud of it. If there is anyone with any sympathy or compassion who might have a suggestion for how we can get it restored, it would make the day of a seven year old with Down’s syndrome and a heart condition and a teenager on oxygen. Please.
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The pin needs to be on the object, and if the object is on private residential property like this appears to be, then it is ineligible.
It was likely reported by another player.
Sadly, that isn’t how it works. The rules around private residential property are very clear. We can have all the sympathy and compassion in the world, but if a potential wayspot is in an invalid location, it’s in an invalid location.
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My only suggestion is that if the item in question is something you guys created for the benefit of the community, can you move the actual item to a public location - with permission from the town council or whatever is appropriate, and then resubmit it in its new location?
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If the LFL was in the grass between the sidewalk and the street (tree lawn area), it would be fine. In your yard, not.
Personally, I have been trying to remove LFL in my area like yours because they do not meet the criteria (while leaving and improving titles and descriptions of those that do meet criteria).
My understanding, and this could be urban legend, is that folks were causing issues at LFL libraries with in game activities. I don’t play PoGo, but something about “raids” ? Basically, players would crowd onto private property upsetting property owners.
Meanwhile, you could try moving the LFL into the tree lawn area. I understand that some locales may frown upon that. But that is likely your only option from a Niantic gaming point of view.
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And just remember that strip between the sidewalk and the curb is still private residential property in some areas, so be careful. Just because a right of way easement exists for a sidewalk doesn’t mean that the property doesn’t belong to the homeowner. This isn’t the case everywhere , but it is definitely the case in some municipalities.
Safer to nominate a POI that is clearly on public property
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That definitely varies, in the UK most grass verges are owned by the council, not by houses. People generally know the case for their own area - they know who has upkeep of it etc. I’d have no idea what the laws are in other countries
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This may be a far stretch from what you want back, but the nearby coffee shop should be acceptable if you can take decent photos and explain how it is a place to socialize or explore.
You’ve also stated this is on your property and shared the coordinates. You may be fine with this, but this is a global community and I’m not sure if you were fully aware when making these posts.
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But why go around removing safe, accessible LFL points? What are they hurting? I really do not understand the motivation to go around and take something away that isn’t hurting anything but is bringing people joy, safely.
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For a number of people, Wayfarer is almost a game in and of itself. If you look on it like that, then ensuring everything is accurate and meets the rules is a sense of achievement for those players.
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Thank you for the heads up on the coordinates. I went back and removed them and will let it go. Incredibly sad and disappointed but I appreciate your responses.
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people have sued niantic over encouraging players onto their property. it is better for niantic legally to have a blanket no private single-family residential property rule
(i was going to use the hug emoji, but it looks too happy. i do understand how devastating this is for you and your family)
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I resemble that remark!
A regular saying of mine about Ingress, “I play with the game more than I play the game.”
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Thank you
Where I live someone is trying to sabotage pokestops by modifying their position over a cell 17 that already has a pokestop. That way he deleted a lot of pokestops. Our community players tried to access review wayfarer to prevent it but could not. We had 20 votes on the position edits, but couldn’t stop the vandalism
Please can someone explain or give me a way to resolve this situation?