An application asking Richmond Hill to annex and rezone a 1.61 acre residential lot at the intersection of Belfast Keller Road and Cranston Bluff Drive is being withdrawn, the city’s mayor said Tuesday night, “until a later date in the future in order to better determine what traffic improvements are necessary at that location.”

The applicant, Tim Casey, reportedly planned to build a convenience store on the property, which is near the future Richmond Hill High School.

News of the plans prompted Heather Brockhoff to start an online petition on www.change.org, calling the store a potential safety hazard given the proximity to the future Richmond Hill High School and high speed traffic on Belfast Keller.

 As of Wednesday afternoon 279 people had signed the petition.

 In a statement from Richmond Hill Mayor Russ Carpenter, he said, “there are improvements being planned to occur at the intersection of Belfast Keller Road and Cranston Bluff Drive associated with the new high school and other developments in the area that are unknown at this time which need to be identified and further studied before rezoning the property to a commercial designation.”