A short standoff near the town of Oka on Friday brought back memories of the crisis that raged there two decades ago.

Developers and a local Mohawk band clashed over four acres of land that both claim is rightfully theirs, near the area that sparked a similar showdown in 1990.

This time, just like 20 years ago, a development company wants the land for commercial purposes, but the Mohawks say it is part of their land claims.

When the Norfolk development company showed up today, reportedly to clear some trees off the property, they were met by an angry crowd intent on keeping them off the land, said CTV's Montreal Bureau Chief Genevieve Beauchemin.

"Things did get quite tense this morning," she told CTV News Channel on Friday afternoon. "The police force here had to take (the developer) off the land… but he did go without setting foot on the land."

She said neither side seems willing to concede.

To complicate matters further, it appears Oka officials authorized the company's plan to build condominiums on the land, only to freeze all development there this summer.

"The town of Oka says that what they did earlier this summer is vote on a moratorium – that there are all sorts of issues that are being worked out now… so they want the developer to hold off, to wait until things are settled," Beauchemin said.

The contested land lies across the road from the area that set off a 78-day standoff in 1990. A provincial police officer was killed during the dispute.

With files from The Canadian Press