Things are heating up again on the Takhini Hot Springs Road and it's not the temperature of the hot pools.

Garry Umbrich, the majority shareholder in the Takhini Hot Springs Corp., has applied to the territorial government for a zoning change that would permit him to split his 120-hectare property into lots smaller than 10 hectares - the minimum size currently permitted in the area.

He also wants the setbacks around buildings to be relaxed, "where we're building next to ourselves ... in order to increase the size of the greenbelts (on the outside of the property)."

But many of his neighbours, horrified at the prospect of smaller lots and high-density housing in their area, have sent their own counter-petition to members of the legislature.

Erik Val, who has acted as a spokesman for the residents, said 58 out of 65 homeowners in the area have signed the petition against Umbrich's application.

The petition calls on the government to respect the community vision reflected in a local area plan, created in consultation with local residents in 2002, and deny the corporation's application to:

• reduce the 10-hectare minimal lot size for subdivision;

• create any number of subdivisions of fewer than 10 hectares;

• increase the density of residential housing; and

• construct two 10-unit condominiums

Umbrich said the current zoning regulations already allow for multiple dwelling residential, apartment-style, developments and that his application is only for the smaller lots.

He went on to say the corporation's master plan is for fewer than 30 parcels, "not any number."

The corporation headed by Umbrich plans to develop a wilderness spa resort on the land in question, which would include condominiums.

Parcelling the land will make it easier to get financing, Umbrich said, so he can realize his plans for the hot springs.

In an interview today, Val reiterated what is written in the petition: that the existing local area plan and accompanying regulations already "provides the Takhini Hot Springs Corporation with the means to develop the recreational and tourism potential of the hot springs."

This back-and-forth between the two parties has gone on for the past six months. Umbrich said the community meetings held to discuss the issue have only served to aggravate things.

"In the public meetings, I stand up to make my presentation and get attacked," he said.

"There is no actual discussion. It's no good for anyone. The people who do support me aren't going to speak out in an angry crowd."

He said he wants the government to help all the interested parties come to a compromise.

"Otherwise, we'll keep going down this win-lose path where someone will end up unhappy with the outcome. That's not as good a solution as actually working with the community."

Val said the community has already worked together to create a vision for the area - one on which they shouldn't be asked to compromise.

"I don't agree that this is an issue of poor communication, or that the process could have different," Val said.

"We came to a consensus on how the area should be developed, and that is in the community plan.

"If the Hot Springs (Corp.) comes back with the same proposal, but some different way of discussing it, quite frankly, that's a waste of time."

A statement Val released this week quotes two other area property owners.

"Look, I also run a business in the area, but we have a major concern when the corporation wants to change the local area plan and regulations to allow for the development of high-density residential condominiums," said Michael King, the co-owner of Bean North, a well-known Yukon coffee roaster.

"This may make sense in downtown Whitehorse, but not here at the end of the Hot Springs Road, where we value our rural lifestyle,"

Bona Cameron, a long-time resident and neighbouring local bed and breakfast operator, is passionate in her views, the statement says.

"My family and I developed our B&B business over the last 20 years, which relies on the wilderness that surrounds us here," Cameron says in the statement.

"My children will be returning from university soon, and I want them to be able to come back to what they left, not a bunch of condos a stone-throw away."