"You start with high-end rentals, you fill in with more affordables," he said.

Actually, the high-end rentals are going well.

Instead it wants to build 350 high-end rentals in six four-story buildings at a cost of $53 million, including land.

The developer can also move ahead on the construction of 330 high-end rentals to be known as Talmadge Village.

That is expected to go up when the new apartments - most of them high-end rentals - are rented out.

Consequently, "I was spending a lot of money on high-end rentals and not gaining equity," he said.

His plans, he said, are "to maintain it as a very high-end rental and to keep it exactly the way it is.

It has become accepted in high-end rental and condo buildings.

Westchester Towers was built as a high-end rental in the early 60's, with a 16-story and a 19-story tower, a swimming pool and garage parking.

But even more high-end rentals would be built, developers say, were it not for the difficulty of getting the zoning and approvals for multifamily housing.