Southtowns Record

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DRAFT

Government
Town of Aurora
Board
Town Board
Meeting
Feb 4, 2026
Kind
Other
Topics
Zoning and land use, Water, sewer and drainage, Parks and recreation, Budget and taxes, Roads and traffic, Housing, Energy and data center siting, Public safety

Original document

Same meeting

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wild parsnip, and emerald ash borer. Hemlock wooly adelgid, box tree moth, spotted lanternfly, spotted
  wing drosophila, and European cherry fruit fly; and, beech bark disease and beech leaf disease, both
  caused by fungi.

vi.  Climate Impact: Climate Migration
  Climate migration is the migration of peoples from areas of the world due to climate-change related
  environmental shifts to areas that are more environmentally hospitable. Among others, rising sea levels,
  droughts, and extreme heat are reasons why people have migrated, and will continue to migrate, to
  climate oasis areas. Climate migration is anticipated to only increase over the coming decades as
  climate change intensifies. The greater Buffalo region, as a substantially more climate-resilient and less
  vulnerable area than other parts of the world, can be expected to receive many of these migrants,
  including the Town of Aurora, at least in small part. Increased population can cause increased housing
  costs, increased development pressures, and possibly displace existing low and moderate-income
  residents.

vii.  Climate Impact: Social Justice
  Related to climate migration, climate change has and will continue to affect social justice and deepen
  social inequalities. Climate oasis areas like the greater Buffalo region have the potential to experience
  substantial increases in property values, which can lead to gentrification. This displacement can cause
  or exacerbate other social vulnerabilities, particularly in the areas that are left behind in favor of areas
  with fewer climate vulnerabilities. The social vulnerability assessment done for Erie County reveals high
  potential for social vulnerability near Buffalo’s downtown, but also in rural areas, including the Town of
  Aurora. That said, the Town of Aurora also has extensive social support infrastructure, including social
  services, food and clothing pantries, affordable housing options, senior services, and more. These
  resources, whether publicly maintained or operated by non-profits, can be strengthened and
  broadened in the coming years to accommodate a larger, and more culturally diverse, population.

  B.  Flooding

  i.  Definition of Flooding
  Flooding has been identified as the primary climate hazard for the Town of Aurora. Flooding is defined
  by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the agency also responsible for administering
  the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

  The risk of flooding in a particular area is defined in terms of the 100-year and 500-year floodplains. In
  river systems (which affect the Town of Aurora), as opposed to coastal systems, flooding is expressed
  in flow rate, which is then used to estimate the water elevation during a flood. A 100-year flood level
  has the probability to be reached or exceeded once per 100 years on average. In other words, the
  likelihood of the flood occurring has a 1 in 100 chance, or 1% probability, in any given year. The same
  goes for the 500-year flood, which has a 1 in 500 chance or 0.2% probability of occurring in any given
  year. The floodplain is the geographic area that is estimated to be affected by the 100-year or 500-year
  flood in any given year. Per the ECMHMP, the boundaries of floodplains can be altered as a result of
  changes in land use, the amount of impervious surface, improvements in technology for measuring
  topographic features, and the utilization of different hydrologic modeling techniques.

  The 1% and 0.2% chances of a flood occurring in any given year do not mean that a flood in a particular
  area will only happen once every 100 or every 500 years. Variations always occur and the climate is
  affected by a myriad of other factors, including previous climate cycles. Within a 100-year floodplain,

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