WHITE PLAINS − What apartments would rent for in the seven-tower redevelopment eyed for the former Galleria mall site remains guesswork for now.

The developer hasn’t announced figures, as it must submit a formal application, seek city approvals including for a zoning change, and it could be years before the redevelopment is built.

But apartment listings in recently built towers by other developers in White Plains signal potential for a share of the new units to command high rents. Los Angeles-based Pacific Retail Capital Partners’ concept, called The District Galleria, is for 3,200 apartments, a fitness center, grocery store and eateries, replacing the 870,000-square-foot, 43-year-old mall. Some 385 apartments would be allocated as affordable housing, there would be sizeable open space, with a mile-long green promenade with pet playgrounds and pocket parks for gatherings, events and entertainment.

Apartments have gotten pricier

The city has been seeing its share of pricier apartments in recent years.

At the 16-story Continuum apartment building, which held a 2018 grand opening, a couple of studios with one bathroom are listed as available for $2,601 and $2,771, respectively.

Avalon White Plains lists a one-bedroom starting at $2,504, a two-bedroom at $3,415 and a three-bedroom at $4,865.

At the Mitchell, a 565-square-foot studio with one bathroom starts at $2,975; a 1,126-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit starts at $4,445; and a 1,261-square-foot, three-bedroom and two-bathroom unit starts at $4,755, according to its website.

It's early in the process and hard to read the clues

It remains to be seen what market-rate ranges the District Galleria will offer. A spokesperson said Tuesday it’s far too early to say, as zoning plans have not yet even been submitted to the city.

“The presentation that was made was really a preliminary presentation,” said spokesperson Geoff Thompson.

Pacific Retail Capital Partners' website says it has more than $3 billion in assets under management in the U.S. and manages more than "20 million square feet of regional, open-air lifestyle and mixed-use centers."

Along with the Galleria site, it has proposed mixed-use, live-work-play redevelopments in Bridgewater, N.J., and outside of Chicago , but nothing about rental ranges at those has come out. In housing market and household income, Bridgewater would be closest to White Plains.

Expert: Newer builds will dictate rent ceiling

Victor Rodriguez, senior director of analytics at CoStar Group, which examines real estate data, said he expected that with newer builds with a luxury focus in White Plains, "the level of future leasing will ultimately dictate if rents have hit their proverbial ceiling."

It's conceivable that some apartment seekers may have looked at places such as New York City and New Jersey’s Hoboken and Jersey City. Rents in those communities rival and, in some cases surpass, Westchester cities’ high end.

Rodriguez said that typically renters will evaluate markets outside of the urban core on their value proposition. “If rents were to grow in White Plains at a far faster pace than those in New York City, the value proposition would decline and may impact a renters decision on whether to relocate to a city like White Plains,” he said.

Michael McKinney covers growth and development in Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley for The Journal News and the USA Today Network.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: White Plains NY development: What could new Galleria apartments cost?