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City council side-stepped the advice of city planners to approve the second of two downtown high-rise projects brought before it on Monday night.

A high-rise tower up to 60 storeys tall will soon be built to the north of the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald along Jasper Avenue, a project supported by city staff, while plans for a 28-storey residential high-rise on 103 Avenue and 104 Street were pushed through despite concerns for its safety and design from city administration.

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In a 9-3 vote on Monday, city council rezoned the lot along Jasper Avenue — which is currently a privately owned park directly outside the Hotel Macdonald — to make way for a mixed-use rental building currently named 9955 Jasper.

Coun. Michael Walters was absent for personal reasons and did not cast a vote for either project.

“It’s going to fill in the skyline a little bit and it’s positive to bring some commercial activity … to that really important corner,” said Mayor Don Iveson of the Jasper Avenue tower.