S.F. Little Bird Coffeehouse dispute gets settled ON SAN FRANCISCO

Owner Chelsea Addison-Torres (left) of Little Bird, a small coffee shop in his neighborhood with neighbor David Overdorf (right) as they stand under the firescape where she was thinking of placing a few tables and chairs in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, March 17, 2011. David Overdorf caused the Little Bird, a small coffee shop in his neighborhood, a few problems in doing that. less Owner Chelsea Addison-Torres (left) of Little Bird, a small coffee shop in his neighborhood with neighbor David Overdorf (right) as they stand under the firescape where she was thinking of placing a few tables ... more Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close S.F. Little Bird Coffeehouse dispute gets settled 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Everyone knows how neighborhood disputes play out in San Francisco. It starts with a difference of opinion. There's an exchange of correspondence, which becomes increasingly confrontational. Somebody complains to a city agency and the ensuing maze of red tape frustrates everyone.

The next thing you know it's a blood feud. People pick sides, neighbors glare at each other, and everybody lawyers up.

Today, on Geary Street, we would like to offer another path. It is a message of hope, understanding and the awesome power of simple conversation - preferably over a cup of coffee.

Two weeks ago I wrote a column about Chelsea Addison-Torres and her Little Bird Coffeehouse. The problem was that a persistent neighborhood activist named David Overdorf was challenging her plan to put tables and chairs on the sidewalk in front of the cafe (even though the previous owner had sidewalk seating) because he said they would violate the fire code.

Sure enough, the controversy followed the usual route. The process dragged out for seven months. Frosty letters were exchanged. A City Hall hearing was scheduled. By the time I wrote the column, Overdorf was seen as a neighborhood bully, and things were getting ugly.

And then, with a few magic words, the entire hullabaloo vanished. And the hero is, believe it or not, Overdorf.

"I would like to offer an apology," he told Addison-Torres on Monday at a meeting he set up. "I didn't realize it was going to be this Kafkaesque journey. It ended up putting you through hell."

Instead of firing off angry missives, Overdorf actually came to Little Bird last week and sat down and talked to Addison-Torres for the first time. It made all the difference.

"When we met, it was very clear in moments that he was sincere and not malicious," she said.

Little Bird still doesn't have sidewalk seating - the glacial pace of the city's bureaucracy hasn't changed - but Addison-Torres is in compliance with the code. All it took was making a 36-inch clearing for the fire escape.

It should be said that Overdorf isn't apologizing for questioning the outdoor seating. He has a home in the area and says he's seen several scary fires in that part of the Tenderloin.

"Public safety is a big thing for me," he said.

What he might have changed was the way he expressed his concern. Even he admits that, as a former college professor, his letters to Addison-Torres might have seemed "kind of cold."

That's one way of putting it. Overdorf's friend Ron Case, who is also active in neighborhood issues, says he read the text and told him, "David, you're right, but this is a little strong."

The formal tone, and precise citations of fire code, put Addison-Torres on alert that she might be dealing with a local gadfly. She asked the Department of Public Works for advice, and it was suggested that she write Overdorf a letter to see if they could get together and work things out.

That made Overdorf suspicious.

"I've learned to be careful in my communication," he said. "My first thought was, this is a set-up."

And so the months passed in mutual distrust. Addison-Torres sent four letters to Overdorf. He responded with three. The anger and hard feelings built up.

Apparently, until the column appeared, no one pointed out that Overdorf's house is barely a block away from Little Bird. Finally, after all the emotion and misunderstanding, Overdorf stepped up, Addison-Torres accepted the chance to bury the hatchet, and this bitter battle turned out to have a happy ending.

"I'm going to do my best to drum up business for your store," Overdorf told Addison-Torres. "And I'm going to come in for coffee."

And hopefully to keep talking.