WHITE PLAINS — As rents in Brooklyn and Manhattan continue a relentless ascent, New Yorkers are searching farther afield for reasonably priced housing. A flurry of construction in White Plains suggests that the city is hoping to draw new residents into its suburban confines.

In three to five years, an anticipated $2 billion in new construction, the most in White Plains since the housing market collapsed in 2008, could reshape the city’s downtown, adding about 2,000 units of housing.

The activity is intended to draw New York City commuters, particularly the much-sought-after millennials, to White Plains, which is a 35-minute train ride to Grand Central Terminal. Construction began in November at 55 Bank Street, two 16-story residential towers totaling 561 apartments. The first building, with 288 units and ground-floor retail space, will open in 2017.

White Plains, the Westchester County seat, has tried sprucing up its downtown before, adding shopping malls, hotels, housing and restaurants in the early 2000s. Many of those projects catered to daily shoppers and office workers who leave in the evening. According to the office of Mayor Thomas M. Roach, the city’s population of 58,000 swells to 200,000 during the day with county workers and employees of businesses like Pace Law School and Bank of New York Mellon.