I will stress-test around the reclaiming lot and establishing on it; to see if I can reproduce the "null" bug you mentioned. Yes, the reclaimed lots can be built on for free. I was aiming for the gameplay loop to be around reclaiming lots and building structures on them. But hearing from you, this gameplay loop is still unclear yet and need to be communicated more.
Hmmm at this point, I am leaning toward discarding the point entirely. Making the label "Ratings & Points" seem to introduce more unseen problem. But I'll play around it first this time. Thank you for your suggestion.