The prospect of developing 110 residential units near Yosemite National Park has stirred significant opposition within a California community, as experts caution that the undertaking may pose substantial risks.
Outrage has been sparked by a proposal to install over 100 prefabricated homes on a 31-acre parcel just north of the park’s southern gateway. Mariposa County planning documents, as reported by the Daily Mail, indicate that 20 percent of these homes are intended for low-income families.
Officials have disclosed that the development would encompass 120 parking spaces and 95 two-story residences, each rising approximately 24 feet.
The remaining homes are designed as single-story buildings, standing around 12 feet tall, collectively forming a residential zone near the community of Yosemite West, which is accessible solely via roads managed by the Park Service.
However, a chorus of voices including experts, local residents, agencies, and environmentalists are raising red flags. They point to potential water shortages, heightened wildfire risks, overcrowded educational facilities, insufficient healthcare resources, and environmental concerns as pressing issues.
‘This doesn’t just fail the common sense test. It’s irresponsible and dangerous,’ Neal Desai, Pacific regional director at the National Parks Conservation Association, said in an email against the project.
Homeowner John Hipskind agreed, adding: ‘I’d be shocked if I found someone who’s in support of this.’
The developer, Camp Yosemite LLC, has faced nothing but backlash for its bold plan to establish a long-term living community near the iconic park.
The Yosemite National Park community is fighting against a developer’s plan to build more than 100 modular homes across 31 acres just north of the park’s southern entrance
Traffic forms along Hwy 140 in Yosemite National Park last month. People are concerned the proposed development would put more pressure on the already busy roads
Desai slammed the proposal as being out of step with conservation goals and warned that it comes at a time when ‘Yosemite is in a major crisis.’
He questioned Camp Yosemite’s plan to build residential homes instead of a hotel or inn, warning that the move appears designed to exploit California’s builder’s remedy.
The law lets developers sidestep local rules, speeding up housing projects that might otherwise face delays.
In short, hotels or inns don’t qualify – meaning the developer may be relying on permanent residences to get around the rules.
John Mock and Kimberley O’Neil, Yosemite West property owners, revealed that this is the second attempt in 30 years to develop these parcels.
‘The first attempt failed and the history of this remains pertinent today,’ the pair wrote.
Some of these worries were shared by Hipskind, who stressed that building long-term housing units, particularly low-income ones, would not work in an area lacking public transit and steady job opportunities.
Because Yosemite West and Mariposa County offer few employment options, many new low-income residents would be forced to travel 90 minutes or more to work in Fresno.
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The residential units would only be accessible through Park Service-managed roadway. An overcrowded lot is pictured in this file photo
Many new low-income residents would be forced to travel 90 minutes or more to work in Fresno due to the park’s low employment opportunities
‘Low-income households particularly depend on local services,’ he wrote. ‘Job scarcity creates economic instability and potential foreclosure risk.’
Both Mock and O’Neil agreed with his assertion, arguing that the proposed project ‘does does not appear to genuinely provide affordable housing.’
Instead, they said the units look more like a ‘glamping’ hotel for short-term stays, with the supposed ‘low-income’ units possibly meant for staff.
Robert and Cindy Kroon, longtime residents, called the project’s low-income housing ‘disguise’ a false premise.
‘There is little or no full-time work. Any available work is seasonal at best. Yosemite West is a remote place where residents are on their own,’ the couple wrote.
‘There are no food deliveries. There are no grocery stores within 14 miles. There is no gas station within 14 miles. There’s no post office,’ they added.
‘It is foolish to think that low-income housing residents would be able to afford the fuel and time for children, much less just survival, living in an area with no supporting services around for miles.’
One of Hipskind’s top concerns is that the development could drain the already scarce water supply, putting the region at serious risk.
A top concern is that the development could drain the already scarce water supply
A resident argued that the application does not prove there is enough water to serve an additional 110 residents
Yosemite West relies on independent water systems with limited capacity, and Hipskind argued that the application does not prove there is enough water to serve an additional 110 residents.
The sudden population boom, Hipskind said, would push schools, hospitals, fire and sheriff services and utilities to their limits.
He said the infrastructure is already near breaking point, and a 40 percent population increase would severely strain the services residents rely on for safety and sanitation.
Firewise coordinator Adam Emken warned that the biggest problem with the development is its ‘evacuation capacity.’
He described Yosemite West as having several hazardous features, such as dense forest and steep terrain that can quickly spread fires.
The lone road out of the community, Emken warned, could also become a deadly trap.
‘Even when warnings are received, a single roadway out of the community could quickly become impassable due to congestion, downed trees, smoke conditions or advancing fire,’ he wrote.
Many outraged community members pointed out the same issue, including longtime business owner Matthew Adams, who said that the whole proposal essentially ‘looks like a fire trap.’
Residents warn that a 40 percent population increase would severely strain the services residents rely on for safety and sanitation. Pictured is Yosemite Valley’s historic Ahwahnee Hotel
The community argued that a sudden population boom would push schools, hospitals, fire and sheriff services and utilities to their limits
Some highlighted the deadly 2018 Ferguson Fire near Yosemite, which tore through the area for over a month, killing two and injuring 19.
‘Distance from suppression forces, heavy fuels, steep slopes, hot dry weather conditions and a history of lightning-ignited fires (projected to increase by 22 percent by 2050), could combine to lead to a large, rapidly moving crown fire that would threaten the entire community and place life and property at great risk,’ Mock and O’Neil wrote.
‘The community faced such a threat in the 2018 Ferguson Fire,’ they added.
Lot owners Richard and Patricia Jarrett wrote: ‘In light of the Ferguson Fire, firefighters were trapped inside Yosemite West because there was only one road out of the community.
‘Having additional structures and people outside the community will only serve to impact the ability of firefighters and emergency response personnel should another fire encircle the community again.’
Resident Dr Hilary Bagshaw cautioned that these problems are far from procedural – they threaten the very heart of the community’s health and safety.
‘As a physician, I understand the implications of inadequate resources on public health,’ Bagshaw wrote.
‘As a community member, I feel the collective anxiety of my neighbors and as a concerned citizen, I implore all stakeholders to reconsider this development with the utmost scrutiny,’ she added.
The site borders 900 acres linked to the Southern Sierra Miwuk tribe – prompting alarm from tribal members
Firewise Coordinator Adam Emken said a lone road ‘could quickly become impassable due to congestion, downed trees, smoke conditions or advancing fire’
Local agencies also shared concerns over the project’s feasibility – particularly regarding roads, water and sewage systems, wildfire risks and traffic.
Preliminary planning documents revealed that the project would need entirely new water and sewage systems, and the road plans fall short of basic topographical standards.
The site borders 900 acres linked to the Southern Sierra Miwuk tribe – also prompting alarm. Tribal member Ursula Phillips blasted the lack of environmental review and called for a full impact report and cultural and historical studies.
On behalf of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, Sandra Chapman said generations of ancestors lived in the area, sustained by the natural resources the land provided.
‘Our tribal government and people have persevered,’ she wrote. ‘We know, respect and care for our sacred places and our ancestral village areas in the Yosemite National Park.’
Tribal Member Aanthony Lerma added that their ‘bloodline has withstood hundreds of years of being systematically hunted, murdered, built over and persecuted.
‘The blatant disregard for the potential environmental destruction of building 110 small modular structures into the hillside with the intended road access destroying a creek is environmentally irresponsible.’ He added: ‘Nature has the right to exist.
‘The irony of the continued destruction from colonialism has become too apparent to ignore.’
Preliminary planning documents revealed that the project would need entirely new water and sewage systems. El Capitan in the park is pictured
Mock and O’Neil raised concerns that the development could harm local ecosystems, threatening endangered species and destroying their habitats.
Resident Nathanial Abrahams agreed, adding: ‘I would like to see our county stand up against outside investors exploiting our natural resources in such egregious, irresponsible ways.’
Suspicions are growing about the project’s real purpose, as the developers’ past appears murky, according to the Mariposa Gazette.
The project is led by disbarred former attorney Ben Eilenberg, who lost his license in California in 2018, and Craig Martin Smith, a former plastic surgeon.
The pair have a history of working together. Just last year, their company, The Mission LLC, sued Santa Barbara County over property taxes – and is now attempting to use the builder’s remedy to force through an eight-story apartment complex.
‘It really it makes people question what’s going on and what are the real intentions,’ Desai said.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Camp Yosemite LLC for further comment.
