The parcel map splits the undeveloped land north of Foothill Boulevard into four distinct parcels, which can be more easily sold as separate units than as one entity. Harvey Mudd College owns the deed to the land.

“The purpose of the map is to create four legal parcels,” City Clerk Lynne Fryman said at the meeting. “Harvey Mudd is looking to sell two of them and retain the other two at this time.”

Harvey Mudd has denied rumors that the land will be developed, though it was considered a potential location for a parking lot last year. However, a parking ordinance passed at the same council meeting last week could make those plans obsolete.

According to Liza Baskir PI ’12, the approval of the map was a formality because the preliminary map was approved in the spring, but it still has consequences for the future of the BFS. Baskir is a leader of Students for Bernard Field Station (SBFS), a student group that is pushing for the BFS to remain undeveloped.

“The parceling will just lead to possible developments in the future,” Baskir said at the council meeting. “Mudd has said several times that there’s no development plans at this time, but why would they be parceling it off if they weren’t planning to develop something eventually?”

The city recognized the possibility of such plans at the meeting.

“We’re going to be entering into an agreement with Harvey Mudd regarding requirements for eventual improvements on the property when they do come in with a development plan,” the council secretary said. “Some of the improvements that we’re looking at are additional street lighting and a pedestrian bike trail.”

One community member, Michael Keenan, voiced opposition to the parceling at the meeting.

“Make no mistake: if you support this, you’re destroying a field station where we can learn more about climate change than anywhere else in southern California,” Keenan said.

“I will go after you for this when I run for City Council,” Keenan told the council members. “[Parceling] might be something to consider 20 years from now, but the research that goes on there is critical to the young people [at the 5Cs], and the college just turns around and spits in their face [with this parcel map].”

Claremont Mayor Linda Elderkin defended the approval of the map by pointing out that the city had no legal basis to reject it.

“The field station is an Institutional Educational Zone, and it was always intended for use by the college,” she said. “We need to let the property owner do what they’re legally permitted to do.”

“What the college is doing from a legal, technical, zoning point of view is quite appropriate,” Elderkin said. “We were practically required to approve this.”

Still, opponents of the parcel map expressed disappointment at the city’s hands-off approach to the plan.

“Even if it [won’t be developed] in the next five years or longer, having [the BFS] parceled is not a good idea,” Baskir said. “I think it should be thought of as a 5C property for research and experiments. Separating it makes it so much easier for [HMC] to sell parts off, because then it’s ‘just a piece of land.’”

“It’s not if it gets built on, it’s when,” Baskir added.