The Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria, BC, Canada is seeking approval for the rezoning of its current site as the first step in a major redevelopment scheme.

At the moment, the site is zoned for residential use and a new Comprehensive Zone, with an expanded boundary, could be tailored to the potential needs of the museum for the foreseeable future.

The museum has the care of more than seven million plants; animals; fossils and geological specimens; and archaeological and historical artifacts, plus an extensive archive of maps, charts and architectural plans; photographs; paintings; drawings and prints; audio tapes; film and newspapers.

In addition to creating more display space for the collection, the scheme would address a range of problems including inadequate environmental controls, a lack of storage, inappropriate storage, the risk posed by earthquakes and enforced restrictions on visitor numbers.

The museum's buildings currently occupy 314,000sq ft (29,170sq m) and approval is being sought for an increase allowing for 890,000sq ft (82,680sq m). Collections are housed in the six-storey main building and the 14-storey Fannin building.

A spokesperson for the museum declined to discuss the cost of the project, saying that without rezoning it would not be possible to calculate a figure. He acknowledged, however, that it could run into 'hundreds of millions of dollars'.