Aurora staff to pursue UDO changes to encourage small-lot and compact housing; study session set Oct. 20

City planning staff and their consultant presented proposed amendments on Oct. 8 to Aurora’s Unified Development Ordinance aimed at expanding compact and small-lot housing options and simplifying design standards.

Brandon Cammarata, manager of the current planning division, introduced Chris Brewster of Multi Studio, who outlined a code audit and recommended changes organized around three categories: greenfield, infill and design. Staff said the goal is to consolidate scattered compact-housing standards, improve coordination with street and PROS standards, and offer clearer, objective design options that preserve neighborhood design intent.

Brewster said Aurora already has more small-lot tools than many communities but that the UDO can be simplified and made more strategic. Proposed policy directions include increasing small-lot opportunities in Subarea C, reconsidering complex small-lot formulas, adding flexibility for “green court” designs in greenfield areas, and expanding small-lot allowances into infill Subareas A and B to support reinvestment in established neighborhoods.

On design, staff proposed simplifying building-design standards, creating clearer design intent, and considering alternatives or context-based relief for masonry requirements. Brewster said objective options could allow flexibility while maintaining quality. On parking, staff said quantity requirements are largely comparable to peer cities but recommended more flexibility on parking location and block-scale strategies — for example, consolidated parking courts and mixes of garages, carports and surface stalls.

Council members asked several implementation questions. Council member Jurinski supported small-lot options but raised concerns about parking and homeowner associations restricting on-street parking; he also said he favored garages. “I have no desire to be anything like Denver,” Jurinski said when arguing for practical parking and garage standards. Council member Bergen and staff said staff would produce visual precedents and educational materials to illustrate proposed alternatives.

Cammarata asked the committee for permission to take the presentation to an Oct. 20 study session for full council comment; Council member Jurinski said, “I approve.” Staff said redlines to the UDO are already being drafted and that the team plans to return with draft ordinance language before the end of the year and begin the formal adoption process in January, including Planning and Zoning Commission review.

The committee did not vote on policy changes at the Oct. 8 meeting; members provided direction and asked staff to present visual examples and to coordinate standards with street design and PROS updates.