Against the advice of many neighborhood activists, the State College Borough Council last night passed a proposal under which the school district's much-debated Community Field may be zoned for public offices and private residences instead of public activities or parks.

Although buildings could ultimately be constructed under either zone, the borough would have the right of first refusal, giving the borough the option to buy any school district lands that are slated for development under the public offices and residential zones.

Included in the proposal, which will be forwarded to the State College Area School District for approval or amendment, is the zoning of Memorial Field for public activities.

Corl Street Elementary School, College Heights Elementary School, Radio Park and Easterly Parkway Elementary School were zoned as residential, with an amendment for special exceptions such as reuse for economic reasons.

Some citizens voiced their displeasure with the Community Field proposal.

"You've wasted the community's time . . . you should be ashamed of yourselves," Robert Eckhardt of 736 W. Hamilton Ave, said, referring to the council's decision to ignore the community's desire to preserve the borough's "greenspace."

But council member Jean McManis disagreed.

If the school board reneges on its promise not to develop its lands, McManis said, "we will simply buy those properties as they come onto the market."

McManis explained that the park or public activities zones requested by the community would not prevent the kind of development that the citizens say they are worried about.

"They wanted something we could not give them," she said.

Council President R. Thomas Berner, who also voted against zoning Community Field, reasoned that "the park zone best applies to land that the borough owns." He also pointed out that the public activities zone does not stop development.