John Waldron, the president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs, has filed an appeal against parts of an order to replant protected trees removed from his Martha's Vineyard property. The appeal comes after a years-long dispute over the removal of 19 cedar and oak trees from his waterfront estate in Edgartown.
Waldron and his wife, Amanda, purchased the vacant lot in 2020 and built a 15,000-square-foot mansion overlooking Katama Bay. In the spring of 2025, they removed the trees, some reportedly up to 60 feet tall and 60 years old. Local officials discovered the removal in August 2025 and determined it violated protections in place for the area's wetlands.
Edgartown officials initially required the Waldrons to submit a plan to repair the environmental damage. The couple submitted a proposal in early 2026, but the town deemed it incomplete. The Waldrons subsequently escalated the matter to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), requesting the state agency take over the review.
Earlier this month, the DEP approved the Waldrons' restoration plan. However, the agency stated that its approval did not override Edgartown's original enforcement order. Following this decision, the Waldrons filed an appeal on Monday. Their appeal does not challenge the restoration plan's approval itself. Instead, they are asking the DEP to reverse its determination that the town's enforcement order remains valid. The Waldrons argue that Edgartown lost jurisdiction over the matter due to delays in processing their proposal.
When not at their Martha's Vineyard estate, the Waldrons reside in a New York City apartment. The couple purchased the Central Park West residence for nearly $9 million in 2008.
