Having waitressed on both sides of the street, Diane Hornick has long admired the mature Japanese maple at Ericksen Avenue and Winslow Way – and the passing of seasons as heralded in its leaves.

“I see that tree change colors every year, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” said Hornick, a veteran of the erstwhile Doogal’s eatery now working at Streamliner Diner. “I’d adopt it for my house, let me tell you – in a heartbeat.”

Hornick and others in the Streamliner’s orbit are irked that the colorful maple, flanked by a spruce and a cherry at the northeast corner of Winslow/Ericksen, may be lost to the development known simply as “the Winslow.”

The tree is believed to be in the way of utility undergrounding, and could also be affected by realignment of the intersection itself as those plans take shape.

The Winslow development is expected to break ground later this summer, and whether the tree will be lost is a matter of speculation.

A city review of the development’s site plan directs the applicants to save the maple and incorporate it into the landscaping if possible. Barring that, relocation of the tree is to be considered.

Project manger Bror Elmquist, who represents the Winslow project, could not be reached for comment this week.

But a landscape architect commissioned by the project developers said in a May 2 letter to city planners that moving the tree probably wouldn’t work, particularly during the summer season when the tree isn’t dormant.

“I have looked at the tree several times,” landscape architect Tim Goss wrote, “and while I can see the merit in trying to save it, I cannot recommend saving it at this time.”

Transplanting large trees, Goss wrote, is an “uncertain exercise.” With the maple, he ventured a 25 percent chance of success, and said even if the tree survived, its form and health would be compromised.

But Deborah Vancil, city councilwoman, said this week that the city’s own arborist believes that the tree can be moved successfully.

The issue may come up during public comment at this week’s council meeting. Taking the lead is Bob Conoley, a longtime diner patron who recently moved his law practice to Ericksen.

“It’s just too nice a tree to lose,” said Conoley, who confesses to a bit of arbor ardor.

As a Boy Scout, he earned a merit badge for identifying 20 different species of trees by sight. As an adult living on the East Coast, he once purchased a single lot of 1,000 pine trees from the state of South Carolina – cost: $10 – many of which he planted himself, with others distributed to friends.

More recently, he sought to have the annual Island Treasure awards expanded to include landmarks – say, the sweetgums in the Winslow Post Office courtyard.

If the maple can be moved, Conoley suggests the city hall grounds, or Waterfront Park.

“I think it would be heroic to save something that only has a 25 percent chance of survival,” he said.