As Onni Group wraps up construction on one downtown apartment tower, the Vancouver-based developer is starting work on another rental high-rise at 354 N. Union Avenue.

Crews and foundation equipment are on-site and already preparing the vacant Fulton River District lot for an upcoming 33-story building with 373 luxury apartments and 143 parking spaces.

Designed by Chicago architecture firm Pappageorge Haymes Partners, the project at 354 N. Union will rise roughly 400 feet and includes an outdoor amenity deck west of the tower as well as a driveway connecting to North Halsted Street.

A 2018 rendering of 354 N. Union Avenue shows a glassy tower and amenity deck atop a parking podium. The K2 apartment tower (completed in 2013) is pictured left. Pappageorge Haymes Partners

A 2018 rendering of the building also shows a pedestrian bridge between the new development and the Jewel supermarket to the east. Onni says it's still waiting on a more recent and polished image of the project, and we'll update this post when they send it over.

Construction on 354 N. Union Avenue is kicking off more than one year after it received its first building permit from the city, Curbed Chicago (RIP) reported at the time. This week's groundbreaking is another sign that developers are betting on the strength of downtown's apartment market post-pandemic. 

The new building is expected to take approximately two years to complete, according to a construction update from the office of 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly

These caisson rigs will be used to drill the new building's foundation.Jay Koziarz/Urbanize Chicago