If you have the different attributes that you want to use as selection criteria make sure that they are part of the attribute table of the shapefile that has the locations of all the cells you are interested in. Then you can use a selection criteria using SQL search to isolate those cells (or parcels of land) which meet the criteria you are looking for. This gives you the flexibility, for example, to build buffers around features that you want to avoid or include (for example a certain distance from a stream). You can also use criteria based on local zoning ordinances as well as select cells that meet criteria based on elevation, slope or aspect. The possibilities are endless. You can see some work I have done for my local state where different selection criteria were used to choose suitable areas for land development.