If the McDonald's Corp. wants to erect its Golden Arches in Oakland's Grand-Lakeshore shopping district, it's going to need a court ruling or a successful ballot initiative to accomplish it.

More than 400 neighbors turned out at a town hall meeting recently to oppose a proposal from the international fast-food chain to open a restaurant on Lake Park Avenue where Kwik-Way, a longtime neighborhood hamburger stand, now operates.

It seems the hollering at the Lakeshore Baptist Church got through to city officials -- just like it has in other urban areas, from San Francisco to Inglewood, that have blocked or banned such chain franchises as Starbucks to Wal-Mart in recent months. People have had enough of the cookie-cutter. They want homemade charm and a slower pace in city neighborhoods.

"This threat has energized our neighborhood with a sense of crisis," said Jim Ratcliff, one of the neighborhood organizers. "We deserve something better than this McDonald's, a store that will measure success in how many cars come through each hour," he added.

After Wednesday's meeting, city officials said they were putting the McDonald's application on hold.

Residents complained about the likelihood of more traffic on Lake Park Avenue, which runs in front of the burger joint and connects already-busy Grand and Lakeshore avenues. More cars. More litter. More pollution in a neighborhood that has worked diligently in recent years to provide a safe walking path for scores of pedestrians.

Bobby Haynes, the franchise holder who owns and operates two McDonald's restaurants in town, was stunned by the public reaction. "This meeting here ... this is new," Haynes said. "I had no idea" of the widespread opposition, he added.

In the last five years, the city has demolished one street, Lake Park Way, created a grassy park from the long-dry Splash Pad fountain and started a weekend farmers' market in an effort to improve the community and promote interaction between neighbors.

In that context, a drive-through McDonald's would be more of an obstacle than an asset. In this part of Oakland, the all-natural pizzas made at Arizmendi bakery are the preferred fast food.

I've always had a healthy skepticism about NIMBY attitudes, but on this particular project the community is absolutely right.

Freeway exits from Interstate 580 bracket either side of Lake Park Avenue, which would enable motorists on either end of the street to pull off and head for the drive-through window.

The farmers' market operates directly across the street from the site, and on Saturdays there are hundreds, if not thousands, of pedestrians in the area between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

In addition to traffic concerns, aesthetic sensibilities and nutritional values, there is a sneaking suspicion that property owner Alex Hahn, franchise- holder Haynes and the McDonald's Corp. tried to shoehorn the store into the neighborhood without notification.

To be fair, Haynes and McDonald's representatives may have naively thought the deal was not controversial. From their perspective, they were merely proposing a change of ownership to operate a similar business that requires no zoning change. And with no modifications to the building, the city's planning and building departments would not be involved.

City Councilman Danny Wan, who represents the area, said that was probably why employees at the planning department's public counter failed to notify his office when the permit applications were filled out.

After the town hall meeting, however, Wan said the city planning department would suspend the permit for a discretionary review by the planning commission because the proposal represented an "intensified" use of the site that would require Haynes and his corporate partners to start the process all over again.

If that happens, property owner Hahn said he would explore his legal options, and he might have a case.

Hahn's decision to buy out the lease of the current tenants in order to negotiate a new lease was based on the city's permit approvals. If the city wants to block this proposal after issuing a permit, the mistake is likely to cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In the meantime, Hahn said he is open to hear all competing proposals but will otherwise move forward in his current negotiations.

Opponents who hissed at Haynes and the McDonald's representatives might do well to hold their tongue and ask city officials some pointed questions.

It's pretty clear from Hahn's position and Haynes' oblivious response that the community shout-down may have empowered local residents, but it didn't stop the deal.

"We always try to be a good neighbor, wherever we are," Haynes said in a written statement. "Not only did the meeting last night provide me the opportunity to listen to various members of the Greater Grand Lake neighborhood, but also to provide my perspective on how my family and I can contribute to the community," he said.

I attended the meeting, too, and everyone who spoke -- everyone -- told him that the only way the Haynes family businesses could contribute to the community is to withdraw the proposal and seek another site.