Developer Jack Guttman says he wants to build a beautiful mixed-use apartment building on the western slope of University Heights that will become a catalyst for improvement in a neighborhood crying out for just that.

"The city is changing," Guttman said. "Harlem’s seen a resurgence and the Bronx will not be far behind. I want to be there at the beginning."

But before the building goes up, Guttman, whose credits include the nearly-completed Chelsea Arts Tower downtown and several developments in San Diego, needs Community Board 7 to approve his application to rezone his Landing Road property for residential use.

Board members who attended a public hearing on the rezoning application last week unanimously agreed that housing would be perfect for Guttman’s plot of land. It’s currently a trash-strewn parking lot across the street from the X Bar on Landing Road and zoned for commercial use only.

"Once he addresses the issues, I love the design," said Sandra Erickson, the head of the Board’s Land Use Committee. "That corner is terrible."

The most important issue, the Board said, is trust.

"It’s not whether or not it’s going to happen, it’s how it going to happen," said Board member John Harris, who’s lived on Cedar Avenue near the site for the past 10 years. "We just have to make sure that he’s serious and committed to the Bronx."

In an interview after the public hearing, CB7 Chairman Greg Faulkner said this rezoning question is a chance for the Board to send a message to developers looking into building in the northwest Bronx.

 "[Potential developers] are paying close attention to what’s happening here in the Bronx," Faulkner said. "I don’t know that we want to say, ‘Hey this place is open for business. Come here and do whatever you want here.’"

Guttman points to his two other Bronx properties – one on River Avenue near Yankee Stadium, the other on Southern Boulevard, both of which are being used as Self Storage warehouses – as evidence that he’s committed to being in the borough for the long haul.

Plus, he said, building housing on this site has been the plan since he bought the property four years ago. "We’ve owned this property for years," Guttman said, "so the goal to build affordable housing there is nothing new."

In 2004, Guttman came to the Board with a similar building proposal, but the project got bogged down in red tape and government bureaucracy, he said. Back then, the property was zoned for residential use, but it shifted to commercial use two years ago, which is now the main roadblock holding Guttman back.

Once the property is rezoned, Guttman can legally build whatever he wants to build on the site, which makes Board members worried that the proposed building, which Guttman calls "luxurious," will price out community members.

That will not be the case, Guttman said. At the public hearing, Guttman said the financing of the building will be tied to a government affordable housing program that will provide tax breaks if he provides space for a mix of incomes. If he indeed intends to use it, which he said he does, the 50/30/20 model would slot 50 percent of units for market rate renters, 30 percent for moderate income, and 20 percent for low income.

The community will get first crack at all of those apartments as well as any jobs that come with the building. "We would give the community first choice for career opportunities and at the apartments," Guttman said. "Why wouldn’t we want to do that?"

According to Guttman’s presentation, presented to the Board last Tuesday at the St. James Park Recreation Center, the brick building would be eight stories, include an underground parking garage, 3,000 square feet of community space and about 150 units, ranging from small one-bedrooms to three bedrooms. There would be a doorman, full-time garage attendants and a large two-story community lounge area. Every unit would have a view of either the Harlem River and Manhattan or Fordham Landing Playground, a city park surrounded by thick woods immediately north of the property.

Providing improved access to Fordham Landing Playground is a condition Faulkner and the rest of the Board are adamant about. Guttman says he will be working closely with the Department of Transportation and the Parks Department to make that happen.

Parking and traffic are also a concern, especially at night and on weekends when the X Bar brings in excess cars. The underground parking garage will help alleviate some of that congestion, Guttman said.

Faulkner remains skeptical. A week before the hearing, Guttman came to the Board’s Land Use meeting with very few details, leading Faulkner to think that the developer is taking a haphazard approach to the design.

But Guttman said he’s not pulling a bait and switch on the community. "This is the ideal project for that space," he said. "We want to build affordable housing and we want it to be a beautiful building."

Again, it comes down to trust, Faulkner said. "It’s not a question of us not wanting housing, but it’s a question of how he’s doing business with us."