Jan 15, 2010 - 04:30 AM

By Parvaneh Pessian

WHITBY -- The emergence of a world-class spa in the heart of Cullen Central Park in Whitby could mean for Durham Region what the CN Tower meant for Toronto.

At least that's the scope of opportunity Antony von Palleske envisions for the more than 40,000-square-foot development project he's hoping will soon get the green light from the Town.

"When we heard that they're developing Cullen, we thought what could we build there that's truly going to put Whitby on the map," said Mr. von Palleske, a Whitby resident and local project manager for renowned Quebec-based spa, Le Nordik.

"We wanted something that's extraordinarily different so people are going to talk about it from Kingston to Niagara Falls."

If approved for development, the facility will be the largest resort spa in Canada, offering visitors a "creative and exciting" experience, complete with fine dining restaurants, a boutique hotel and wellness components.

The Town of Whitby is currently undergoing the next phase of its Cullen master plan study to determine what type of development will occupy 20 acres of available land on the Taunton road property. Staff has already weeded out several hopefuls, narrowing the list to three: a spa, banquet hall, and school.

"We have to be able to evaluate the pros and the cons of all the proposals and then council will decide what the direction is," said Whitby's director of community and marketing services, Peter LeBel, adding that preference will lean toward the option that most complements the landmark site.

Cullen Central Park is located on the site of the former Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village which served as a major tourist attraction in Whitby for years, drawing masses of visitors to the community. The park, minus the village, is now primarily used by residents for public recreation and rental of facilities for functions.

The tablelands -- lying west of the Lynde Creek valley and currently containing areas of the main building, the former show gardens and heritage structures -- are the key spots where development will be targeted.

Owners of Tosca Banquet and Conference Centre in Oshawa are also eying the property as the ideal setting for expanding their business to an 800-square-foot facility.

"We were going to expand the property anyway but Cullen Gardens sort of came up and we thought what a beautiful, picturesque location for a banquet hall," said Tosca vice-president Robert Albis.

If approved, the development will also include renovations to an existing building on site to transform it into Mondo Ristorante, formerly located in downtown Whitby and closed for the past two years. Changes would reflect the restaurant's modern atmosphere while also maintaining historic elements of the Cullen site, Mr. Albis added.

"It's so beautiful that we want to preserve it and we don't want to lose the heritage that's there right now."

On the other hand, a local Montessori school believes the rich history of the location might best serve as an educational asset to local students if a school was built there.

"You've got the botanical gardens down low, which will be nice for the children and you've got the special events area, which will primarily be used during the summer and weekends but it might also be available to us to use as a playground," said Edgar Wilson, owner of Blaisdale Montessori School, which already has several locations scattered across the region.

"That property just 100 per cent appeals to me and I think having us there will benefit the community tremendously."

If approved for development at Cullen, the school will likely house about 10 classrooms and also feature a stage in its gymnasium that will be open for public use.

The deadline for proposal submissions in the ongoing evaluation process is Jan. 15 with staff expecting to report back to council sometime next month.