Smart Growth for Bristol has a positive influence on our town's growth and development, advocating for a sustainable economy, preservation of our rural-village character, and conservation of our natural areas. We formed in 2003 to oppose the Lathrop Limited Partnership's development of a giant gravel pit within view and earshot of our Main Street, among established homes, on land zoned for future village growth, adjacent to the Bristol Cliffs Wilderness Area. When a pro-pit majority on our Planning Commission attempted to revise our Town Plan and zoning regulations to green-light the pit, open the town to ambiguous "large-scale commercial development," and allow mining in our Conservation Zone (51% of our land area), we stopped them after a two-year effort. We then worked successfully to change the membership of our Planning Commission, and after two more years, helped pass a progressive new revision of the Plan that preserves the pit site for future village growth and prevents mining in Conservation zones, among other positive provisions. After 11 years, two local permit hearings (one of which we won), and two Act 250 hearings (both of which we won), the VT Environmental Court ruled in favor of the pit in October 2013. But the judge only reached his decision by ignoring or mangling VT law and Bristol zoning regs and overlooking inconvenient facts, so we have challenged the ruling in VT Supreme Court. Oral arguments will take place in the fall of 2014. Our biggest challenge in the last few years has been raising the money we need to pay our attorney to see the case through.