The Downtown News has unveiled renderings for the proposed mixed-use development that would transform the Southern California Flower Market.

A portion of the longtime wholesale center, located on a 3.8-acre property at 755 S. Wall Street, is slated to be razed to make way for a 14-story building, featuring 290 rental apartments - some of which would be set aside as affordable housing - and residential amenities. Plans call for the market's second building to be upgraded and retained with space for floral vendors, approximatley 50,000-60,000 square feet of offices and an undetermined amount of parking.

Renderings of the project, which is being designed by Los Angeles-based architecture firm Brooks + Scarpa, portray a boxy mid-rise structure featuring grid-pattern windows and horizontal elements colored blue, yellow and green. A public paseo would cut through the property at ground level, mitigating the unwieldy scale of the block. Plans also call for flower-thremed murals across the development.

Construction could begin in approximately two years.

The project first emerged earlier this month, when 14th District Councilmember initiated a general plan amendment which would allow the Flower Market to move forward with the planned redevelopment. The Downtown News reports that this step is critical to the market's future in Downtown Los Angeles, with the likely alternative being relocation outside of city limits.

The Flower Market has a venerable history in the greater Downtown area, founded by Japanese-American growers in 1912. It was cited by Huizar as a major catalyst for the development of Southern California's horticulture industry.

Although much of Downtown's recent construction boom has centered on South Park neighborhood, the past year seen many developers turn their sights to the Fashion District. Just across the street from the Flower Market, a joint venture between Realm Group and Urban Offerings recently announced plans for a 33-story apartment tower.