Community lot
A Community lot is a public lot which serves as the basis for commercial or recreational buildings/facilities in a neighborhood, such as shops, parks, etc. These lots often provide important services for a neighborhood, such as selling clothes, groceries, and magazines; and providing gathering places and entertainment. Townies and playable Sims alike often appear on community lots to browse the goods, socialize or just hang around, so community lots are great places for Sims to make friends. Some (commercial only) objects can only be placed on community lots, and likewise some objects can only be placed on residential lots.
The Sims
Community lots first appeared in The Sims: Hot Date, and each The Sims expansion pack after that introduced a new sub-neighborhood with its own community lots. In order to visit community lots outside of Magic Town, Sims must call a cab, and may have to pay for the ride. (Magic Town's community lots may be visited by using the Hole in the Ground.) When Sims visit a community lot, their residential lot is saved, and will not change until they return home.
All The Sims community lots have an NPC who serves as a janitor. This NPC does general clean-up and repair work on the lot.
Except for Vacation Island lots and family members on Downtown lots, non-controllable Sims on Sims 1 community lots cannot be interacted with until they are either greeted, or autonomously interact with a controllable Sim.
Babies cannot visit community lots, and Sims will not be able to visit a community lot if that would leave a baby alone in the house.
The Sims 2
Residential lots also become static when a Sim visits a community lot. Sims do not age while on community lots, but their aspiration level will still decay. Babies and toddlers cannot visit community lots.
University
Young adult Sims are able to build skills on university community lots. University community lots cannot be visited by Sims in any other age group unless they are invited by a young adult Sim. The semester timer continues to run while a young adult Sim is on a university community lot, but time on the residential lot will still be stopped. However, if a young adult Sim visits a community lot in the base neighborhood or in another sub-neighborhood, the semester timer will pause until he or she returns to the university sub-neighborhood.
Nightlife
Nightlife introduces the ability for Sims to have cars, which they can drive to community lots.
Open for Business
Playable Sims can buy community lots, and establish businesses on them. A lot's owner, and members of their household, can build skills on that lot, though the progress bar will not appear. When you send a lot's owner, or a member of their household, to that lot, you will be able to access their inventories, enter Buy Mode and Build Mode, and even to save.
Bon Voyage
Bon Voyage introduces the ability for Sims to walk to community lots.
Apartment Life
Apartment Life allows Sims to visit community lots in a helicopter if they own the helicopter and if there is a helicopter pad on the lot that they want to visit. If the Sim is a witch or warlock, the "Fly to" option appears also. They just take out their brooms and fly there.
The Sims 3
Sims can perform the same actions on community lots as they do residential lots. Babies and toddlers can visit community lots with an adult Sim. Community lots can only be placed on designated areas in the neighborhood. Time is not held static when a Sim visits a community lot. Several community lots are rabbit holes. Sims can own or be a partner of a rabbit hole. Sims can visit community lots by walking, riding a bike, or taking an automobile. There are no loading screens when a Sim visits a community lot.
Classification of community lots
There are several classes of community lots. Here are the definitions of each class. Latter definitions override former ones, so a lot with 4 gym machines will never be defined as a library or art gallery, no matter how many bookshelves or art objects are added to it.
- Empty
- Simple - any object
- Fishing Venue - at least one fishing spot
- Parks
- Small Park - 3 park objects
- Big Park - at least 12 park objects
- Park for Parties - a chess table
- Beach - at least 1 beach object - does not need to be on a waterfront
- Pool - at least 1 pool
- Art Gallery - at least 16 art objects
- Library - at least 12 bookshelves. Gives Power Study moodlet.
- Gym - at least 4 gym machines. Gives Fit Atmosphere moodlet.
- Graveyard - at least 4 graveyard objects OR a mausoleum. A mausoleum gives Creepy Graveyard moodlet (Graveyards without mausoleums don't).
- Rabbit hole - any type of rabbit hole, except mausoleum. At this point, the lot loses its identity and you can see only the rabbit hole's map tag. Also, your Sims' visiting hours, preferences and crowd size relate to a radius around a rabbit hole and not to the lot as a whole.