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74 Town of Aurora Goal 1: Support Housing for All Life Stages and Incomes This goal lays out a framework for how the Town of Aurora can responsibly guide housing development to meet the needs of current and future residents. The central goal is to provide a greater diversity of housing options—ensuring affordability, accessibility, and choice—by concentrating new growth in carefully planned denser zones. At the same time, the Plan emphasizes the protection of the Town’s rural character, open spaces, and agricultural heritage. By focusing development in targeted areas, the Town can strengthen existing neighborhoods, enhance walkability and infrastructure efficiency, and support vibrant mixed-use centers—while preserving the natural landscapes and small-town feel that define Aurora’s identity. This balanced approach seeks to meet the demand for housing in a way that sustains both community vitality and the rural qualities residents value. Recommendation 1.1 – Support Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs): Update zoning regulations to permit ADUs by right (with basic design/size regulations), create a streamlined permitting process, and offer educational workshops for homeowners on how to develop an ADU on their property. Recommendation 1.2 - Encourage “Missing Middle” Housing: Amend zoning to allow more duplexes, triplexes, and courtyard homes near the Village core, hamlet centers, and along transportation corridors. Recommendation 1.3 - Facilitate Senior Housing Development: Identify and rezone targeted areas within or adjacent to the sewer district for senior living facilities; amend zoning or create an overlay district to encourage a range of independent and assisted-living options. Recommendation 1.4 - Workforce Housing Near Commercial Centers: Amend zoning regulations to designate overlay zones or provide incentives (e.g., streamlined approvals) for developments that include workforce housing close to the Village, hamlet centers, and existing employment corridors. Recommendation 1.5 - Establish a Housing Task Force: Establish a Housing Task Force (staff and volunteer-based) to conduct ongoing review of code changes, identify grant opportunities, and monitor rehab and preservation support fund distribution. Recommendation 1.6 – Seek Pro-Housing Community Designation: Have the Town of Aurora become a Pro-Housing Community by adopting the States resolution, sending the letter of intent to NYS HCR, and submitting required materials (zoning map + code summary and the last five years of housing permits) to obtain certification; maintain status with annual updates. This in turn will help the Town obtain grant funding for housing support projects. Goal 2: Strengthen Environmental Stewardship and Resilience This goal outlines strategies to safeguard Aurora’s natural environment while preparing the community for sustainable growth. The initiatives emphasize proactive tree management, expanded land conservation, and the responsible siting of renewable energy projects. At the same time, they reinforce the Town’s commitment to stormwater management, climate resilience, and sustainable waste reduction. Together, these actions seek to preserve Aurora’s rural and ecological character while enabling the community to adapt to modern challenges. By investing in tree replacement, open-space protection, micro- farming opportunities, and agrivoltaic solar projects, the Town balances environmental stewardship with innovation. Measures such as a Town-wide stormwater plan, FEMA Community Rating System enrollment, and streamlined solar permitting ensure that infrastructure and development move forward in a way that protects residents, farmland, and waterways. The overall goal is a resilient, sustainable Aurora: a community that conserves its forests, farms, and open spaces while embracing renewable energy, climate action, and smart infrastructure policies that protect residents today and for generations to come.