Commercial expansion is not in the cards when it comes to Hinsdale’s Ogden Avenue corridor plan, much to the relief of many residents.

The development and physical appearance of the Ogden Avenue gateway has been a hot topic for residents for more than a year. More than 75 e-mails were sent to village officials about the corridor plan after Village President Michael Woerner asked for more input from residents at the May 20 Village Board meeting.

Many of these e-mails stated opposition to the commercial expansion of the corridor from the Tri-State Tollway to Route 83 while also addressing concerns about zoning changes — specifically the former Amlings nursery site.

Woerner may have postponed the Ogden Avenue corridor plan for more than a month, but in the end, residents’ concerns were heard.

The board room was packed wall-to-wall Tuesday night, with many anticipating a long debate about what should and should not go into the plan. But keeping to his promise that suggested changes would be considered, Woerner proposed six key adjustments to the plan before even opening discussion up to the public. As a result, the room was filled with the spirit of appreciation rather than frustration.

Woerner’s changes to the 61-page document included the following:

1. Eliminate the last paragraph on Page 7, which states, “Gruen Gruen & Associates suggests that a residential use, such as a townhouse, would not generate a higher land value for the Amlings site and likely not attract a development. However, a nonresidential use, such as an office and retail use, would likely support development of the Amlings site.”

2. Add the word “only” to the sentence on Page 25 that states “redevelopment of the Amlings property should (only) include single-family residential uses.”

3. Eliminate the paragraph on Page 25 under “Office redevelopment.” which states the village encourages assembly of the multi-family building and single-family home to the west to accommodate a redevelopment opportunity for a residentially scaled/neighborhood office that allows all to take advantage of the traffic signal on Madison Street.

4. Delete the entire section on Page 31 about a signalized intersection at Monroe Street and Ogden Avenue.

5. Change the preferred use within the OAC West overlay district to residential on Page 55, and eliminate the sentence on depth, since it was a point of misunderstanding, and residents want this area to be residential.

6. Change the maximum height of buildings in the OAC West overlay district from three stories high to 2.5

Village Trustee Tom Cauley also suggested a minor change to the plan to clarify even further the Amlings property would be subject to residential redevelopment similar to the Hinsdale Animal Hospital site. After some residents expressed concern about land being condemned, trustees agreed the plan should directly state that there will be no condemnation.

Residents at the meeting appeared to be pleased with changes suggested by the village.

“I have to be honest and tell you I came here expecting a fight tonight, and I couldn’t be happier that we’re not having one,” resident Mike Nelson said through loud applause. “I really appreciate the fact that you took the feedback and incorporated it into the plan because I think what all of us are most concerned about is wording that favors development in any way, shape or form.”

Nelson went on to say the plan is going a long way to helping residents feel like the Village Board is supporting the residents and not the developers.

Trustees voted in favor of the revised plan, and it will now be turned over to the planning consultant firm, Camiros, who will work with village staff to prepare a zoning code text amendment. The amendment will be forwarded to the Hinsdale Plan Commission.

“I feel great,” Woerner said. “Like I said in the beginning, we want to be proactive instead of reactive. We want to have a plan in place, and we wanted to reach out and bring in all the citizens we could to get input, and this was a great meeting.”