The Trump administration is reportedly considering a land swap that would give part of Yosemite to a private developer who wants to build a road connecting a lodge and rental cabins to the national park. The proposal would see the federal government give 1.1 acres in Yosemite — the country’s fifth most-visited national park — to Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital in exchange for another equivalent parcel of land in California. The land, currently owned by the Interior Department, would be used to connect the highway inside Yosemite to a property just outside the park’s western boundary that is owned by Jeff Pori, the developer, told The Washington Post.
On the 83-acre property, Kingsbarn hopes to build short-term rental accommodations and a lodge for tourists. Pori denied it would be a “compound for rich guys,” as some detractors have tried to characterize it. The lodge and rentals project has yet to be designed but that hasn’t stopped critics from slamming the proposal as using Yosemite National Park for personal gain.
It is often called one of the Seven Natural Wonders of North America due to its unique geography, which includes El Capitan, one of the world’s largest exposed granite monoliths, as well as Yosemite Falls, one of the highest waterfalls on the continent. The proposed lodging would spread out visitors and help decongest crowded areas where accommodations are located inside the park, Pori claimed. And the fact that it’s a long way away from where the other lodging is, which is congested,” Pori said.
Desai says the project would only make the park even busier. Congestion has been a problem ever since the Trump administration got rid of a reservation system that helped the flow of traffic for visitors, he added. As it stands, there is often a lengthy wait to enter Yosemite.
Once visitors enter, there are hundreds of cars competing for a few parking spaces near the trailheads in the valley. Yosemite right now is in complete chaos,” Desai said. The land swap proposal has been backed by top Interior Department officials, sources told NOTUS, which first reported the news.
Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace told the Post that “if a more concrete proposal is submitted for consideration,” it would be subject to federal law and a review process, which would include opening it for public comments and an environmental review. The Independent has contacted the Interior Department for comment. The National Park Service typically only transfers land with congressional approval.
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