Las Vegas firm’s Yosemite road proposal draws protests

A Las Vegas real‑estate firm’s proposal to build a private road through Yosemite National Park has sparked protests from environmental groups. Kingsbarn Realty Capital, acting through a Nevada‑registered limited liability company called Sanctuary at Yosemite, bought 83 acres of land just outside the park’s boundary for $4 million in February 2024, according to Mariposa County Property Assessor records and the California Secretary of State’s Office. The company says it intends to develop short‑term rental lodges and campsites on the western edge of Yosemite and is seeking an easement from the National Park Service for a 700‑foot private road that would connect the parcels to an existing park road. Kingsbarn’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, described the project as “a planned development, mostly involving tiny lodges and campsites.” He told The Washington Post in early September that the units would serve as tourist short‑term rentals. Davis added that, without the road, future residents would have to drive 45 minutes along an unsafe, 11‑mile unpaved route. He argued that the road would reduce air‑pollution impacts, calling the environmental benefits “pretty clear.” To satisfy federal requirements, Davis said Kingsbarn must exchange a different parcel of comparable value and transfer ownership of that land to the park service. Davis, a Washington, D.C., attorney who served as special counsel to President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, contends that a misinformation campaign has grown around the proposal. He also noted his frequent appearances as a Trump‑aligned commentator on cable news, while denying any claim that former President Donald Trump influenced the plan. Opponents gathered outside Kingsbarn’s Summerlin office on Friday. Jill Workman Anderson, a North Las Vegas resident, retired banker and Sierra Club member since 1989, said, “I’m here because national parks are sacred. They belong to the American people, and they need to stay in our hands, not sold off to private individuals or industry. Nobody wants to lose their favorite spot to a building or a private mansion.” Christian Solomon, government seat of the Sierra Club’s Toiyabe chapter, carried a sign reading “It is not simply a road,” echoing Davis’s earlier remarks. Solomon warned, “We’re against this because, across the country, we’re seeing that if they take an inch, they’re going to take a mile.” The Interior Department, parent agency of the National Park Service, said it has not approved any land swap. In a statement it emphasized that any land exchange or access arrangement involving NPS lands would be subject to all applicable federal laws, regulations and departmental policies, including mandatory environmental review and public notification processes. “No final decisions have been made,” the department added. Davis said Kingsbarn has not yet identified a parcel the park service would consider acquiring.