Plans for a controversial development project that will excavate gravel and build houses in part of the Hoppers Birge Pond Nature Preserve in Bristol are moving forward despite a last-minute change from the developer as advocates say time is running out to save the 270-acre preserve.
The nature preserve, located at 54 Ambler Road in Bristol, contains eight miles of hiking trails and wildlife refuge. H & T Holdings, LLC purchased privately-held land on the east side of the preserve for mining and development back in August of 2025, according to documents.
The plan, published last year, was to excavate and build properties at 45 and 51 Grassy Road. In addition, the development would have allowed H & T Holdings, LLC to excavate 149,000 cubic yards of sand and soil from the “middle of the preserve.”
Last Thursday, the city’s inland-wetlands commission voted 6-1 in favor of the developer, giving a green light for the project to move ahead. On Monday, the developer’s lawyer changed the site plan in front of the city’s zoning commission. The new plan calls for the developer to build five houses instead of two and to significantly reduce the amount of gravel being excavated from 149,000 cubic yards to 50,000 cubic yards. H & T Holdings, LLC is affiliated with local developer Tom Tobacco, according to documents filed with the city.
“So our initial thoughts with this application, we had looked at 149,000 cubic yards of material being removed from the site. We think we can accomplish what we want on this site with only 50,000 cubic yards of material being removed, which is a significant reduction, in what we’re asking for and still accomplishes what we’re looking for. So those are those are important elements of this application,” the lawyer representing the developer said at Monday’s zoning meeting.
“The final point that I would make before you want to open it up for public discussion is the fact that I know a lot of people are here because they oppose the project, and they’re worried about protecting The Hoppers. I would just remind the commission that this is 5.91 acres of land that is privately owned. It’s not part of The Hoppers.”
Michelle Rudy, who heads up The Friends of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve, a group dedicated to its preservation, said dozens of people showed up to the zoning meeting protesting the proposed development on Monday. She said the new plan offered by the developer should be considered in a new application to the wetlands commission.
“The developer should pull the application and start over because it’s a completely different configuration and it’s going to affect the wetlands differently,” Rudy said. “I don’t think it’s fair that he can slide past the wetlands commission and then just completely change plans when we know it will impact the wetlands differently. The drainage is going to be completely different. We’re talking five septic systems which will have a different configuration for possible contamination of the groundwater. So we really need to go back to square one now.”
The Friends of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve won a previous battle with a different developer over a 11-acre privately owned parcel on the west side of The Hoppers that was going to be sold, according to the group. The city purchased about 10 acres on the western side with a $420,000 open space grant from the state back in July.
“I certainly hope the commission takes some of the public testimony into consideration,” Rudy said. “There is a lot of public support to protect The Hoppers. We gave a 30-minute long presentation on how the development would harm the surrounding lands of the Hoppers preserve. We heard from the developer that this new plan won’t impact the rest of The Hoppers, but we have shown that to not be true. We hope the commission takes our presentation and the statements from dozens of residents into account while making their decision.”
The Friends of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve group employed Dr. Brian Neff, a hydrologist from Colorado, who showed findings that the development will drain wetlands. But the developer’s consultant, Jim McManus, disagreed in a report filed back in November that showed wetland boundaries further away from the property.
“Mining less sand and gravel is suppose to appease us, I guess, it’s either a concession or just a ploy” said Jan Gatzuras, a member of the Friends of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve. “The problem is it’s still 50,000 cubic yards that are going to be excavated. Much of the damage that the larger amount would cause, especially the impact on the pond and spoiling the preserve, would still happen under the new plan. The core forest we have will still be fragmented more by this development.”
The city’s zoning commission meets again next month, where it will decide to end the public hearing portion and schedule a vote to either approve the project for permitting or come back with recommendations, according to Rudy. The meeting is scheduled for March 9 at 6 p.m. inside Bristol City Hall, according to the city’s calendar of events.
“We introduced a petition to the mayor and we want the mayor to enter negotiations to purchase the land and make it city-owned,” Rudy said. “That’s really our hope. We do not want a compromise on the development, so that’s our goal right now because there’s really no compromise that will not harm the preserve. We want to protect it for generations to come.”
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected].