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Comprehensive Plan 29 What We Heard Key Issues & opportunities Throughout the planning process, residents and stakeholders of Aurora were continuously engaged to ensure the plan reflects their desires and “Opportunities” represent “Issues” represent either vision for the community. Engagement opportunities included a public survey, existing strengths or assets existing needs or gaps in the stakeholder interviews and focus in the Town that can be Town that limits to future groups, and two public workshops. further leveraged and development or the Town Regarding land use and zoning, supports the potential for from achieving the plan’s Community members strongly valued new development, business vision statement and goals. Aurora’s rural character and voiced a clear preference for preserving open creation, or achieving the space, managing growth carefully, plan’s vision statement and and updating zoning to reflect today’s goals. Infrastructure Limitations for housing and business needs. Future Growth: Expanding residential and commercial • Preserve Rural Character and development could require Open Space: Residents support West Falls Hamlet Overlay significant investment in protecting farmland, forests, and District Encourages Thoughtful infrastructure, including water, scenic landscapes. Conservation Growth: The West Falls Hamlet sewer, and roads. The Town’s and open space were the top land Overlay offers a strong framework current rural land use pattern use priorities in the public survey. for maintaining historical character makes infrastructure expansion while promoting mixed-use costly, so strategic infill • Limit and Focus Development: development in a walkable development where infrastructure Most respondents want to limit new environment. This approach already exists should be development entirely or direct it to supports small businesses and prioritized to maximize efficiency specific locations, such as near the adaptive reuse of buildings. Similar and minimize costs. Village of East Aurora or in existing overlays could be considered for developed areas (i.e. hamlet of West other Hamlets and historically Traffic and Transportation Falls). Infill development and reuse built-up areas in the Town. Challenges Along Major of vacant parcels were preferred Corridors: With commercial over expanding into rural or natural Potential for Increased Housing uses concentrated along NYS areas Diversity in Higher-Density Routes 240, 20A, and 16, there Residential Zones: The R-2 and is potential for congestion and • Modernize Zoning: Many residents R-3 zoning districts were intended safety concerns, particularly and stakeholders called for to support a mix of housing if development increases. A updated zoning that supports types, but single-family homes lack of pedestrian and bicycle small-scale, context-sensitive dominate. Encouraging duplexes, infrastructure along these growth, allows accessory dwelling triplexes, and multi-family housing corridors’ further limits mobility units (ADUs), and enables mixed- through zoning adjustments or and access. use development in hamlets. incentives could provide more affordable housing options • Infrastructure & Environmental while accommodating changing Concerns: Residents stressed demographics. that future development should align with existing infrastructure to C-3 Zoning District as an avoid costly expansions. Concerns Underutilized Asset for Economic included increased traffic, loss Growth: The Town’s C-3 zoning of green space, and stormwater district covers 332 acres, yet there impacts. are no industrial land uses within it. This presents an opportunity to • Support Hamlet-Scale Growth: attract targeted industries such as West Falls and other hamlets were light manufacturing, technology, identified as appropriate places for or green energy businesses, which modest, walkable development could diversify the local economy that respects their historic scale and and provide new job opportunities. character.