Oct 22, 2008 - Claremont, Calif. - Harvey Mudd College (HMC) is considering the purchase of 11.46 acres of land owned by Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences (KGI) on the northeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and College Avenue.

The parcel is not part of the approximately 45 acres designated for biological research in the “Settlement Agreement” signed by the Friends of the Bernard Field Station (BFS) and Claremont University Consortium (CUC) in February, 2001.

(Click on the map below to view a larger version.)

HMC proposes to dedicate to biological research in perpetuity a portion of the northwest area of the KGI property to supplement the adjacent BFS, with the possible addition of facilities to support it. Being considered are a classroom and storage, office and restroom facilities.

The college proposes to use the new land to develop an environmentally sensitive "green" parking area in the southern-most strip of the property adjacent Foothill Boulevard. The parking is needed to support a new state-of-the-art classroom building that will replace Thomas-Garrett Hall on the existing 33-acre campus on the south side of Foothill Boulevard.

The City of Claremont requires that parking facilities be located within 800 feet of new construction. The proximity of the planned new construction at HMC to the KGI property will meet this requirement.

Claremont Graduate University (CGU) has also expressed an interest in the property. At the regular meeting of the HMC board of trustees on Sept. 27, President Maria Klawe and board Chair William A. Mingst were authorized to negotiate with KGI and CGU regarding the purchase of the property. HMC and CGU have signed a memorandum of understanding that will allow CGU to purchase one-half of the property if HMC’s offer is accepted by KGI, and after the land is subdivided.


Klawe said of the proposed purchase: "We understand and respect the concern of faculty and students that development of the KGI property reduces the area currently available for biology research and education, and that edge effects from development might impact the ecology of the approximately 45 acres designated as a biology field station.

"It is our intention that the development we plan for the KGI property will have a minimal effect on the adjacent area designated as a field station. Moreover, by dedicating some of the KGI property for biology research and education, our goal is to support and promote the use of the adjacent area as a valuable academic resource."

Background and pertinent data:

• During September and October, HMC administrators held a series of meetings to discuss possible plans for the property with HMC faculty, students and staff; and with members of The Claremont Colleges faculty who conduct research at the BFS. A public forum on the purchase will be held for all members of The Claremont Colleges community on Friday, Oct. 31, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., in Galileo-McAlister Hall on the HMC campus.
• On its existing 33-acre campus property, HMC plans to replace Thomas-Garrett Hall with a new, state-of-the-art classroom building; build two new academic buildings in the areas north and south of the F.W. Olin Science Center; and build a dormitory on the east end of campus to mitigate current overcrowding.
• There is currently a deficit of 55 parking spaces on HMC's campus, which includes the recent loss of 13 spaces on the east side of Dartmouth Avenue when the City of Claremont added a bicycle lane.
• HMC will use the development of the parking area as an educational opportunity for students and faculty. Being considered are state-of-the-art solar (photovoltaic) shades that generate electricity, plug-ins for the next generation of electric vehicles, and bioswales to capture potentially hazardous run-off and mitigate its impact on the environment and the adjacent field station.
• Below- and above-grade multi-level parking has been considered, but it is considerably more costly. Based on projects recently completed or planned in the local area and after discussions with consultants who estimate the costs of parking projects, the costs for building parking facilities are estimated as follows: Surface parking is approximately $4,000 per space; multilevel parking structures are from $32,000 (multi-level, above grade) to $45,000 (multi-level, below grade) per space. These costs are based on the current costs of materials and labor.
• The purchase will be contingent upon approval of the KGI board of trustees and the CUC board of overseers, and concept approval by the City of Claremont of HMC's plans for its use.
• The land is part of a larger parcel originally donated to The Claremont Colleges in the 1920s by Ellen Browning Scripps and designated for educational use.
• CUC gave the land to KGI for the development of its campus facilities when it was founded as the seventh member of The Claremont Colleges consortium in 1997. In lieu of developing the land, KGI located its campus facilities in existing buildings in a business park in southwest Claremont.
• HMC's current enrollment is 735 students; the campus is 33 acres of contiguous land bordered by Foothill Boulevard on the north, Dartmouth Avenue on the west and Platt Boulevard on the south. The eastern border is between Mills Avenue and Claremont Boulevard.

Harvey Mudd College (www.hmc.edu) is a national leader in undergraduate education in engineering, science and mathematics, with a strong emphasis on humanities and the social sciences. The college’s mission is to produce citizens sensitive to the impact of their work on society. Harvey Mudd College is a member of The Claremont Colleges Consortium, which also includes Claremont Graduate University, Claremont McKenna College, Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Science, Pitzer College, Pomona College and Scripps College.