Ottawa's planning committee has approved two controversial high-rise condominiums in the city's centre.

The committee on Tuesday approved the 30-storey Soho Italia on Preston Street and the 27-storey condo tower at 96 Nepean Street, at a site that is now a street-level parking lot.

Mastercraft Starwood Group had initially proposed 36 floors for Soho Italia — which would have made it the city's tallest building — even though the property was zoned for a much more modest structure.

The plan had divided the community. Some businesses were enticed by the prospect of more customers and some homeowners were concerned about how the giant building would change the character of their neighbourhood and lead to more traffic congestion.

A decision on Claridge Homes' proposed Nepean Street condo was previously delayed because of concern over another Claridge construction site a half block away.

The excavation at Tribeca condo development at 91 Nepean Street— where the developer has dug seven storeys into the ground to build an underground parking garage — had been flagged by nearby businesses after a brick sidewalk along the south side of Place Bell on Nepean Street sunk slightly but noticeably.

But engineers who reviewed geotechnical surveys convinced the planning committee there was no significant cause for concern.