Kelowna City Councillor, Brian Given, all but accused his fellow Councillors of pandering to the electorate.

Given stormed out of Council Chambers near the end of Monday's meeting, shortly after Council agreed to look into a review of Kelowna's Downtown Plan.

"What I witnessed here this afternoon Your Worship, it must be an election year coming up, and I'm disappointed," said Given prior to walking out.

Council voted to have staff report back on how much it will cost, what resources would be necessary and what other projects may be impacted by doing a review of the Downtown Plan.

The request was made as a few dozen Kelowna residents who want the Downtown Plan revisited before a controversial Downtown Revitalization Plan, which focused on a four block area of the downtown core, is looked at.

Strategic Planning Manager, Signe Bagh, told Council a review of any kind could hamper other projects involving an already understaffed planning department.

"Staff resources have been fully allocated to other projects through the 2008 budget process," says Bagh.

"Providing staff resources to support and oversee consultants undertaking an update to the plan would require re-directing staff from current projects or delay completion of other projects, such as the official Community Plan Review."

Given, the only Councillor to speak out in favour of the four block Revitalization Plan, says he is against anything that takes away from the OCP review.

"The OCP in my mind is the priority here. That update has to be put first," says Given.

He says the CD Zone, which accompanies the Revitalization Plan, was designed to compliment the Downtown Plan.

"Council directed staff to take the Downtown Plan as it sat with all of the ideas and guidelines in it and incorporate that into the current CD Zone that is being proposed. To turn around now and say you want the whole Downtown Plan re-developed in that process, I agree with Mr. Mattiussi, the OCP should come first."

Council, in asking staff to look into a review, was concerned about the height of buildings and the density it would create.

The current Downtown Plan, endorsed in 1999, calls for buildings no taller than 12 to 14 storeys, with none of those along the Abbott Street corridor.

The CD Zone, which borders Abbott to Water streets and Harvey to Queensway, would allow for buildings as high as 26 storeys.

The original proposal was for buildings as high as 30 storeys.

Mayor Sharon Shepherd says there have been as many as 15 developments brought to the planning department, both inside and outside the proposed CD Zone, which include buildings as high as 30 storeys.

"I'd like to get a handle on either saying to any of the developers out there that are outside this present CD Zone, keep in the plan as it is today and let us evaluate the CD Zone. If it doesn't go anywhere then I think that will then set the tone for what we are looking at for the bigger vision," says Shepherd.

"If we are going to move ahead, I would like to know what the height and density calculations should be."

Meantime, Councillor Barrie Clark, told Council he felt it was time to slow down and take a deep breath before moving forward.

"I don't see any harm in all of us just saying hang on, let's wait a bit and make sure we get it right," says Clark.

"Listening to my fellow Councillors, I just felt we were rushing at a speed that we should not be and that we should just take a deep breath. If Council wants a lot more information before making a decision, that's fine with me."

Clark says the pressure Council is feeling is due to the CD Zone, which will be coming before the City within the next couple of weeks.

"It's going to make my decision a lot easier if I have this other information. So, why don't we just take the very difficult decision and say, because of staffing problems and other pressures, because of the OCP which we agree has top priority, we are not going to deal with the CD Zone as rapidly as we would like."

Staff is expected to come back with recommendations within the next two to four weeks.