Judge Halts Removal of York Village Honey Locust
A temporary restraining order blocks cutting of a honey locust tree in York Village Square while a lawsuit over the town's revitalization plan proceeds.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Botany
Live Poll
Should towns remove mature shade trees for road and revitalization projects?
York County Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order halting removal of a honey locust tree on a traffic island in York Village Square. The order followed a lawsuit filed by resident Kiki Tidwell against the town of York.
Why it matters
The dispute pits a 2015 voter-approved revitalization plan against a state law protecting public shade trees and a 2022 climate action plan. The outcome could affect how York balances intersection safety projects with tree preservation in the village.
The court order is a temporary restraining order rather than a final ruling, and the cited temperature difference of 10-15 degrees comes from the plaintiff's complaint. Whether the town's intersection safety rationale will outweigh the shade-tree statute remains unresolved until the hearing.
The players
Kiki Tidwell
A York resident who filed the lawsuit against the town seeking to protect the honey locust under a state public shade tree law.
Peter Joseph
The York Town Manager whose office the town cited in defending the tree's planned removal as part of a project to improve intersection safety.
James Martemucci
A Justice of the York County Superior Court who issued the temporary restraining order halting the tree's removal.
The details
Crews had been scheduled to remove the honey locust on Tuesday or Wednesday before a judge issued the order on Monday. Tidwell's complaint argues the town did not use available tree planting funds to preserve or relocate the tree, while town officials say the removal is part of a project to alter the town way and improve intersection safety, and that the plan includes planting new trees.
Timeline
2015: Voters approved the revitalization plan that included removing the tree and an adjacent monument.
2022: Voters approved a climate action plan that Tidwell cites in her case.
October 27, 2026: Tidwell filed her lawsuit and requested a temporary restraining order.
November 2, 2026: Justice James Martemucci issued the temporary restraining order.
November 6, 2026: A hearing with oral arguments from the town and Tidwell is scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Big Picture
Tidwell's case relies on the 2022 climate action plan that voters approved, placing the honey locust dispute alongside York's earlier public commitments to shade and climate goals. The conflict shows how a 2015 revitalization plan and a 2022 climate plan can point in opposite directions for the same tree.
Residents of York Village may see the honey locust remain in place if the restraining order is extended after Friday's hearing. The outcome will determine whether the traffic island is reconfigured as the town's intersection project proposes.
The takeaway
Local shade-tree protections and municipal safety projects can collide, and court hearings often decide which takes priority. Residents following similar disputes can review the town's own revitalization and climate plans to understand what each promised.
What happens next
A hearing on the restraining order is scheduled for Friday afternoon, when the judge is expected to hear oral arguments from the town and Tidwell.
Further reading
For more on the plant science behind urban shade trees, see Botany coverage.
Live Poll
Should towns remove mature shade trees for road and revitalization projects?
