The Boston Licensing Board today deferred any action on a license request for a Starbucks proposed for L Street and Broadway.
Simple food-serving licenses normally are not contentious, but this request has pitted neighbors and friends against each other in what both sides say is a struggle for the very heart and soul of the once tightly knit neighborhood.
The board could take up the issue next Thursday, or it could continue to defer a decision. In May, the board had rejected a license for would be the chain's first outlet on the more traditionally minded side of South Boston but agreed to reconsider.
In a statement, board Chairwoman Christine Pulgini said she and her fellow board members felt they needed more time to adequately pour through the "voluminous" correspondence they've gotten on the issue.