Transitional/Redevelopment Parcels

One shortcoming that was pointed out during the 2013 Update was the inability to flag a recently-vacated parcel which was going to be redeveloped into a different use. Current coding rules say that, even if a property is vacated, it should still be coded by the former use if there’s been no modification to the property. A prime example of this is the old Motorola campus outside in Harvard, which has sat vacant since 2003 but is still being coded as Industrial/Manufacturing. We take this approach because it would be impossible to keep up with the vacant/occupied status of so many properties. As long as the vacant structure on the property is sound, then theoretically it can be occupied by some future tenant for the same purpose. If we know that a property is (a) vacant, and (b) going to be converted to another use, then we need a way of flagging that property, not only to indicate that the coded activity no longer applies, but also to let us know that there are redevelopment plans afoot. This will help out the pre-processing for the subsequent LU update since the Transition flag will alert us to a new land use for that site. An example of how this would have been applied in 2013: the old Children’s Memorial Hospital in Lincoln Park closed in 2012 but the building was intact. Redevelopment plans (residential + retail) were in the works but no actual demolition or construction had taken place in 2013. Coding rules dictate that it should still be coded Medical even though we knew the property was going to be something else; and it wouldn’t be right coding it as Construction if work had not actually started.

How to flag a Transitional parcel

We will stick with the convention of coding the parcel to the “old” use. With the parcel selected, select the COMMENT Update tool (in the Non-Coding Tools toolbox). The tool will have a window for you to type a statement which will go into the COMMENT field for that parcel—write a simple description such as “mixed-use, construction begins August 2017” as well as a check-box to have the tool write a “T” in the MODIFIER field which will serve as the Transitional indicator.