KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) A Keene property owner has pulled back a request to rezone land at the intersection of Winchester and Pearl streets, effectively halting a proposal that had drawn strong resistance from nearby residents and skepticism from city councilors.

City officials confirmed Friday that Adam Wright, who owns multiple parcels at 371 Pearl St. and 291 Winchester St., asked to withdraw his application to change the zoning on five lots from low-density residential to commercial. The request came two days after the City Council’s Planning, Licenses and Development Committee voted unanimously to recommend against the rezoning.

Wright had argued that the parcels — located near a roundabout and surrounded by existing commercial development — were poorly suited for housing and better positioned for commercial use. Neighbors strongly disagreed, saying additional businesses would intensify traffic, noise and other issues they say already spill over from the Winchester Street corridor.

Those concerns dominated a contentious public hearing last week and resurfaced during the committee’s discussion Wednesday night. Committee members pointed to the city’s housing shortage and questioned the need for more commercial zoning in an area where vacant commercial properties already exist.

Councilor Andrew Madison said residential land is increasingly scarce in Keene, while commercial space along Winchester Street remains underused.

He emphasized that residents closest to the proposed change would feel its impacts most directly.

The five parcels, totaling about 1.58 acres, are currently zoned low-density residential, allowing single-family homes and limited commercial uses under the city’s cottage court ordinance, such as small neighborhood-oriented businesses. Several councilors noted that option could still be explored without a full rezoning.

Councilor Phil Jones, who chaired the committee meeting in the absence of Chair Kate Bosley, also cited longstanding traffic concerns in the area, particularly near the Pearl Street connection to West Street, which he described as already problematic.

The parcels sit within Keene’s historic Italian neighborhood, an area recognized for its cultural and architectural legacy. Residents recently contributed memories, photographs and oral histories to a city-supported interactive story map highlighting the neighborhood’s past and its importance to the community’s identity.

The full City Council is still scheduled to take up the matter Thursday, but will do so with Wright’s withdrawal on record, according to the city clerk’s office.