KINGS BEACH, Calif. – A connection between a Tahoe development and the recently circulating proposed Yosemite land swap is stirring public perspectives regarding a Kings Beach development.

Kingsbarn Realty Capital soared into public view this past month after NOTUS broke the story of a potential land swap in which the company would receive a reportedly quarter-mile strip of Yosemite National Park land. 

The reported purpose for the developer acquiring that land is to build a road connecting one of the park’s central roads to the company’s 83-acre development site just outside the park’s western boundary. 

As that news circulated, the Yosemite developer was then tied to the Tahoe developer, Kingbarn Capital & Development, currently developing 39^o North, a project in Kings Beach that proposes a luxury hotel, townhomes for sale, workforce-housing apartments, a restaurant, retail shops and an event ballroom.

According to Kingsbarn Realty Capital’s website, it is the parent company of Kingsbarn Capital & Development. The 39^o North project is also listed on Kingsbarn Realty Capital’s website under its Real Estate tab and Kingsbarn Portfolio.

The connection has fueled publications from Tahoe voices drawing parallels between the Yosemite proposal and the publicly debated 39^o North development, which has been criticized at public meetings on topics including scale and design.

In a publication through Strong North Tahoe, titled, “From Yosemite to Tahoe, Making Development Work Is Only Half the Question”, Patricia Orr draws parallels in access, tourism pressures and feasibility. 

“Making the project work is one measure of success,” Orr said in the publication. “Whether it works for the community — and whether the place around it can continue to work too — is the other half.”

The North Tahoe Preservation Alliance also issued material connecting the developer, titling the material, “Same Developer. Yosemite and Kings Beach. Neither Is for Sale.”

The publication questioned the concept of providing private value through public assets and lands. 

“There is nothing improper about a developer seeking approvals that increase the value of its investment,” the alliance’s material said. “But government’s obligation is not to maximize a developer’s return. It is to protect the public interest. That principle should apply whether the scarce public asset is access through Yosemite National Park or development rights, public land and tax revenue at Lake Tahoe.”

It laid out how the properties comprising the Kings Beach development include county-owned parcels, and how the development received a county-approved transient occupancy tax rebate and use of county banked development units.

Amid the circulating news, the Sun contacted Kingsbarn Capital & Development about being tied to the Yosemite land exchange. The developer issued the following statement:

“The 39 North project in Kings Beach is being developed by Kingsbarn Capital & Development and is unrelated to the property near Yosemite National Park involving Kingsbarn Realty Capital. Kingsbarn Capital & Development has no involvement in or relationship to that matter.

Kingsbarn Capital & Development remains focused on working with Placer County, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and the community to advance 39 North through the planning and public review process.”

Since its initial proposal, Kingsbarn Capital & Development has addressed public feedback and amended its plans, reducing the scale and design.

The 39^o North development is currently undergoing evaluation in preparation for drafting the Placer County and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency environmental documents. According to the county, the project is scheduled to go to the Tahoe Basin Design Review Committee on Sept. 22.

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