A dispute over the future of a 300-foot slice of the Cayuga Lake shore owned by Wells College has gripped the village of Aurora.
Kevin Fitzgerald, co-manager of the college’s golf course and representing Aurora Route 90 Group LLC, has offered to purchase the lakefront property.
Fitzgerald plans to demolish the 125-year-old McGordon House situated on another property he’s buying nearby, to build two rental houses and provide its tenants direct access to the lake shore.
However, a faction of Aurora residents, led by former village trustee Grace Bates, is advocating to convert the lakefront into a village park and is urging the board of trustees to retain its right of first refusal.
Bates has offered to establish a trust to secure the lakefront property for the proposed park. The proposal to demolish the McGordon House, approved by the Aurora Planning Board on May 10, has been a contentious issue in the village for months.
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