A phantom creek will no longer delay development plans for Takhini Hot Springs.
A Yukon Supreme Court judge has said a reservation in a Crown land claim from the 1940s is “void.”
Garry Umbrich, owner of Takhini Hot Springs Ltd. has spent the last three years trying to get the land rezoned so he can further develop the property.
But an old land survey was stopping his plans. It identified a small trickle of water on the property and said all waters belonged to the federal government.
But the water dried up years ago, and it is unknown where it was on the land. Neither territorial nor federal governments were clear about what the land survey means.
The judge’s decision means the company can submit the land survey for subdivision without removing the areas with the water on it, Umbrich said in an email to the News.
“We are obviously very happy with the outcome,” he said.
The company plans to build more natural-looking pools at the site and work on the campground. This work may attract future development at the site. It plans to have the new pools finished by May 2016.