North Beach Neighbors Fear Change

Not since a resident unsuccessfully petitioned the city to silence the bells of the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral has North Beach seen so many noisy neighbors.

The issues? First, a section of Mason Street has been closed to prepare for a planned park and library expansion.

The length of closed roadway stretches all of half a block, but the change has one man, Sal Busalacchi, up in arms.

"I personally have 500 signatures against the project," Busalacchi told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Meanwhile, down the street, the owner of the only-in-San-Francisco establishment Kennedy's Irish Pub & Curry House encountered opposition from a local police captain over his application for a liquor license.

Captain Jim Dudley of Central Station told a planning commission meeting that there were already enough drunks in the neighborhood, and that he opposed granting a new liquor license.

So no cosmo with your curry, at least for now. And no change, ever, in the neighborhood without a fight from someone who wants to preserve it just the way it is.

Photo by Pamla J. Eisenberg.

Jackson West wonders what would happen if American Apparel tried to open a store in North Beach.