All articles tagged with #private development
Las Vegas–based Kingsbarn Realty Capital seeks to build a road through less than two acres of Yosemite to access Hazel Green Ranch, offering an environmentally sensitive land exchange; the Interior Department says no decision has been made and any proposal would be subject to federal laws, environmental review, and public input, while experts warn such land exchanges are rare and could set a dangerous precedent for park boundaries.
California lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to reject a proposed land swap that would let private Kingsbarn Realty Capital build a sub-half-mile road connecting its Hazel Green property to Yosemite, a move supporters say would cut pollution and reduce traffic while critics warn it would privatize public land and set a risky precedent; any deal would still require environmental reviews and public comment.
The Interior Department is weighing a land-swap that would allow Kingsbarn Realty Capital to obtain a small parcel inside Yosemite National Park to build a new road connecting its adjacent Stanislaus National Forest property to an existing park road, potentially enabling future development. The plan would require exchanging park land for nearby property of equal or greater value, a move supporters call environmentally friendly and critics call a dangerous sell-off of public lands. Democratic senators Padilla and Schiff have threatened to block the deal, arguing it threatens conservation funding and public access, while the White House denies political pressure and says any proposal will follow the law with public involvement. The parcel represents only a tiny portion of Yosemite’s 750,000 acres, but opponents warn it could worsen crowding and ecological risks.