Packed public comment forces continued hearings on Hoppers earth‑removal proposals; residents cite dust, traffic and ecological harms

The Bristol Zoning Commission continued public hearings on two linked earth‑removal applications after a packed public‑comment period in which scores of residents urged the commission to protect the Hoppers nature area.

Staff read applications 2547 (special permit for removal in excess of 400 cubic yards) and 2548 (site plan for earth removal) for multiple lots on Grassy Road and Ambler Road. The applicant’s representative explained the proposal, saying the site contains approximately 149,000 cubic yards of material and proposing a phased removal program to regrade and create building lots. Engineers described inward‑sloping grading directing runoff to a temporary sedimentation/detention basin designed with two feet of freeboard; construction fencing, siltation controls and post‑project restoration were described.

City planner Robert Flanagan told the commission that Friends of the Hoppers filed an intervener petition and that the application lies adjacent to wetlands and floodplain areas. Staff and counsel emphasized that the zoning commission could not decide these applications until the Inland Wetlands Agency issues its report; the commission therefore continued the public hearings to the next regular meeting on February 9, 2026, to allow the wetlands review and outstanding technical work (including a traffic study and peer review) to proceed.

More than two dozen in‑person and online speakers addressed the commission. Neighbors, many identifying themselves as members of the volunteer group Friends of the Hoppers, complained that extensive excavation would require thousands of dump‑truck trips through narrow residential streets, produce silica and other dust hazards, damage roads and underground utilities through vibration, fragment habitat and threaten Burge Pond and nearby trails. Several speakers noted the area’s local geological significance and recreational use, and urged the commission to favor conservation or less invasive alternatives. Representative public comments included:

• Michael Pane (resident/Friends of the Hoppers): estimated the project would move the equivalent of 10,000–14,000 dump‑truck loads and warned of inhalation risks from silica dust and severe traffic impacts on narrow roads.

• Bob Green (engineer, Robert Green Associates): described sedimentation basin capacity, maintenance requirements and that the basin would be removed and the area restored at project end.

• Multiple residents (including Evan Berube, Faith Campbell, John Benoit and others): described threats to wildlife, historical features, children's access to nearby trails and schools, and questioned the adequacy of existing wells, stormwater and road infrastructure for large‑scale truck traffic.

At the meeting’s close for these items the commission moved and seconded a motion to continue applications 2547 and 2548; the roll call vote carried with all commissioners present voting to continue to the regular meeting on February 9, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.

Next steps: the Inland Wetlands Agency will prepare its report; the applicant is expected to provide a traffic study and respond to staff peer‑review requests before the commission can take a decision. The public will have another opportunity to speak when the hearings resume.