View full metadata https://www.cambridgema.gov/GIS/gisdatadictionary/CDD/CDD_LandUse Description This data set derives from several sources. The primary source is a data dump from the VISION assessing data system, which provided data up to date as of January 1, 2012, and is supplemented by information from subsequent building permits and Development Logs. (Use codes provided by this system combine aspects of land use, tax status, and condominium status. In an effort to clarify land use type the data has been cleaned and subdivided to break the original use code into several different fields.) The data set has further been supplemented and updated with development information provided by building permits issued by the Inspectional Services Department and from data found in the Development Log publication. Information from these sources is added to the data set periodically. Land use status is up to date as of the Last Modified date. Differences From “Official” Parcel Layer The Cambridge GIS system maintains a separate layer of land parcels reflecting up to date subdivision and ownership. The parcel data associated with the Land Use Data set differs from the “official” parcel layer in a number of cases. For that reason this separate parcel layer is provided to work with land use data in a GIS environment. See the Assessing Department’s Parcel layer for the most up-to-date land parcel boundaries. About Edit Dates This data is automatically updated on a set schedule. The Socrata edit date may not reflect the actual edit dates in the data. For more details please see the update date on the full metadata page or view the edit date within the data rows.
This dataset has the following 15 columns:
| Column Name | API Column Name | Data Type | Description | Sample Values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry | the_geom | multipolygon | Polygon layer geometry. The latitude and longitude data for the underlying map shapes. | view top 100 |
| Map Lot | ml | text | Map-Lot: This a unique parcel identifier found in the deed and used by the Assessing data system. In a few cases, where parcels have been subdivided subsequent to January 1, 2012, a placeholder Map-Lot number is assigned that differs from that used elsewhere. | 191-39 37-68 242A-161 250-221 96-102 view top 100 |
| Map | map | text | This Map portion of the unique parcel identifier found in the deed and used by the Assessing data system. In a few cases, where parcels have been subdivided subsequent to January 1, 2012, a placeholder Map-Lot number is assigned that differs from that used elsewhere. | 190 193 36 40 262 view top 100 |
| Lot | lot | text | This is the Lot portion of the unique parcel identifier found in the deed and used by the Assessing data system. In a few cases, where parcels have been subdivided subsequent to January 1, 2012, a placeholder Map-Lot number is assigned that differs from that used elsewhere. | 34 35 33 30 47 view top 100 |
| Location | location | text | In the great majority of cases this is the street address of the parcel as it is recorded in the Registry of Deed record. In instances where edits were made to the base parcel layer the best address available at the time is employed. | 9 BELLIS CIR INDUSTRIAL PARK RD CAMBRIDGEPARK DR SMITH PL SIDNEY ST view top 100 |
| Land Area | landarea | number | Square Feet | 5000 4000 6000 4500 2500 view top 100 |
| Land Use Code | lucode | text | The four digit text string in this field indicates the primary usage of a parcel. While the codes are based on the standard Massachusetts assessing land use classification system, they differ in a number of cases; the coding system used here is unique to this data set. Note that other minor uses may occur on a property and, in some cases, tenants may introduce additional uses not reflected here (eg, office space used as a medical office, home based businesses). | 101 104 105 111 112 view top 100 |
| Land Use Description | ludesc | text | The short description gives more detail about the specific use indicated by the Land Use Code. Most descriptions are taken from the standard Massachusetts assessing land use classification system. | SNGL-FAM-RES TWO-FAM-RES THREE-FM-RES 4-8-UNIT-APT >8-UNIT-APT view top 100 |
| Land Use Category | category | text | This broader grouping of land uses can be used to map land use data. You can find the land use data mapped at: http://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/CDD/Maps/LandUse/cddmap_land_use_20160701.pdf?la=en | Residential Mixed Use Residential Office Commercial Transportation view top 100 |
| Exist Units | existunits | number | This value indicates the number of existing residential units as of July 1, 2016. A residential unit may be a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms or a single room that is occupied (or, if vacant, intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. This includes units found in apartment style graduate student housing residences and rooms in assisted living facilities and boarding houses are treated as also housing units. The unit count does not include college or graduate student dormitories, nursing home rooms, group homes, or other group quarters living arrangements. | 1.0 2.0 3.0 0.0 4.0 view top 100 |
| Mixed Use | mixedusety | text | Two flags are used for this field. “Groundfloor” indicates that a commercial use is found on the ground floor of the primary building, and upper floors are used for residential purposes. “Mixed” indicates that two or more uses are found throughout the structure or multiple structures on the parcel, one of which is residential. | groundfloor mixed view top 100 |
| Group Quarters Lodging | gqlodgingh | text | A value of “Yes” indicates that the primary use of the property is as a group quarters living arrangement. Group quarters are a place where people live or stay, in a group living arrangement, that is owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. Group quarters include such places as college residence halls, residential treatment centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, and workers’ dormitories. Most university dormitories are included under the broader higher education land use code, as most dormitories are included in the larger parcels comprising the bulk of higher education campuses. | YES view top 100 |
| Grad Student Lodging | gradstuden | text | A value of “Yes” indicates the parcel is used to house graduate students in apartment style units. Graduate student dormitories are treated as a higher education land use. | YES view top 100 |
| Condo | condoflag | text | “Yes” indicates that the parcel is owned as a condominium. Condo properties can include one or more uses, including residential, commercial, and parking. The great majority of such properties in Cambridge are residential only. | YES view top 100 |
| Tax Status | taxstatus | text | A value indicates that the parcel is not subject to local property taxes. The following general rules are employed to assign properties to subcategories, though special situations exist in a number of cases. o Authority: Properties owned the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority and Cambridge Housing Authority. o City: Properties owned by the City of Cambridge or cemetery land owned by the Town of Belmont. o Educ: Includes properties used for education purposes, ranging from pre-schools to university research facilities. (More detail about the level of education can be found using the Land Use Code.) o Federal: Properties owned by the federal government, including the Post Office. Certain properties with assessing data indicating Cambridge Redevelopment Authority ownership are in fact owned by the federal government as part of the Volpe Transportation Research Center and are so treated here. o Other: Nontaxable properties owned by a nonprofit organization and not falling within one of the other categories. o Religious: Properties owned by religious organizations. Parochial schools located on separate parcels from other uses are included in the Educ Nontax category. o State: Properties owned by the State of Massachusetts, including those owned by the MBTA, Middlesex County and DCR parklands. | Educ NonTax City NonTax Religious NonTax State NonTax Other NonTax view top 100 |