I think [an occupied **lot**][1] sounds really weird, because *lots* are invariably *vacant* (there are only 273 instances of OP's version in the Google Books link there, compared to 1,820,000 for [a **vacant** lot][2]). And per Tom Au's comment to Jim's answer, *improved* is more evocative of the Monopoly board game. It's also worth noting that [the vast majority of written references][3] to *improved land* seem to be in relation to *agricultural land*, where the term is defined [here][4] as... > ***Improved land** includes all land regularly tilled or mowed, land in pasture which has been cleared or tilled, land lying fallow, land in gardens, orchards, vineyards, and nurseries, and land occupied by farm buildings.* I'd advise OP to call his one a [**developed site**][5] (12,900 written instances there). --- EDIT: It's worth noting that not only has *an improved lot [never had any real currency **in the UK***][6]... ![enter image description here][7] ...but it's also being replaced by *a developed site [over recent decades **in the US***][8]... ![enter image description here][9] [1]: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22second%20name%20is%20jones%22&btnG=Search%20Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1#tbm=bks&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22an%20occupied%20lot%22&oq=%22an%20occupied%20lot%22&gs_l=serp.3...854586.854586.0.855163.1.1.0.0.0.0.62.62.1.1.0....0...1c.1.22.psy-ab..1.0.0.lr3UNcBPes0&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.49784469,d.d2k,pv.xjs.s.en_US.MpiVkF51mpA.O&fp=4a541bedf55cb907&biw=1484&bih=929 [2]: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22improved%20land%22&btnG=Search%20Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1#tbm=bks&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22a%20vacant%20lot%22&oq=%22a%20vacant%20lot%22&gs_l=serp.3...406616.411274.0.411834.25.21.0.0.0.3.142.1328.19j2.21.0....0...1c.1.23.psy-ab..25.0.0.FQYIi5nRRg4&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.49967636,d.d2k,pv.xjs.s.en_US.jOYpRJj4zMA.O&fp=c0b43071fc779672&biw=1369&bih=911 [3]: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22improved%20land%22&btnG=Search%20Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1 [4]: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=EWO7jbFh8oEC&pg=PA201&lpg=PA201&dq=define%20%22improved%20land%22%20farms&source=bl&ots=sQGgMLEV3s&sig=c5Zt2UJRcS2bPToHZmMaG9gYeDQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=upf4UfCoMpG20QXsy4GgAg&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=define%20%22improved%20land%22%20farms&f=false [5]: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22second%20name%20is%20jones%22&btnG=Search%20Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1#tbm=bks&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22a%20developed%20site%22&oq=%22a%20developed%20site%22&gs_l=serp.3...19970.19970.1.20533.1.1.0.0.0.0.56.56.1.1.0....0...1c.1.22.psy-ab..2.0.0.Lm9hDF_teg4&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.49784469,d.d2k,pv.xjs.s.en_US.MpiVkF51mpA.O&fp=4a541bedf55cb907&biw=1484&bih=929 [6]: http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=an%20improved%20lot,a%20developed%20site&year_start=1900&year_end=2000&corpus=18&smoothing=3&share= [7]: https://i.sstatic.net/790Yb.png [8]: http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=an%20improved%20lot,a%20developed%20site&year_start=1900&year_end=2000&corpus=17&smoothing=3&share= [9]: https://i.sstatic.net/LVSSY.png