Fresh off an impromptu groundbreaking ceremony for 1133 S. Hope Street, another Downtown development has suddenly begun prepping for construction.

Onni Group, a Canadian real estate developer, has set up protective fencing around a surface parking lot at 1212 Flower Street.  The approximately 1.5-acre site, which abuts Pico Station, is slated for a pair of high-rise towers featuring 730 residential units, 8,000 square feet of retail space and parking accommodations for 830 vehicles.

Documents on file with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning call for towers that would rise to heights of 40 and 31 stories above street level.  The glass and steel structures are being designed by Vancouver-based Chris Dikeakos Architects.

The property is currently improved with a 70,000-square-foot office building, which will be retained by Onni through the development.  The five-story structure, built in the late 1960s, has recently received a series of upgrades, including a new basement-level gymnasium.

1212 Flower is the third high-rise project for Onni in the Downtown area, following Level DTLA and 820 S. Olive Street.  The company recently completed a purchase of the historic Los Angeles Times Building, a portion of which may be demolished to allow the construction of a multifamily residential complex.

The project also joins a string of towers reshaping parking lots near Staples Center, including the Circa and Oceanwide Plaza developments.