Stonington - The Stonington Historical Society is seeking a zone change that would help pave the way for its plan to renovate and expand the Old Lighthouse Museum at Stonington Point.

The borough Planning and Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the application for April 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Borough Hall.

The historical society is seeking to change the zoning of the lighthouse property at 7 Water St. from Residential District 1, which does not allow museums, to Residence Preservation District, which allows museums by special permit.

The lighthouse became a museum in 1925 and is the oldest lighthouse museum in the country. In his letter to the commission, society attorney Frank Eppinger said that when the borough enacted zoning in 1976, "museums were inadvertently omitted from the list of permitted uses in the then Residential Zone," even though the museum at that point had existed for 51 years.

Eppinger wrote that the commission should "recognize the reality and existence" of the museum and change the zoning.

"The oldest lighthouse museum in the country should not be a second class citizen and non conforming use in the Village of Stonington," he wrote.

The historical society's initial plan to expand and renovate the museum was criticized by some residents, and last fall it presented a scaled-back plan that calls for handicapped access and bathroom improvements, relocation of the entrance and ticketing areas to a 547-square-foot addition to the rear of the building as well as other upgrades to protect the collection. The more traditional addition replaced a controversial glass pavilion that was present in the initial plan.

The improvements require what Eppinger calls a "modest increase" of the building's footprint, but its present zoning designation does not allow it to expand because it is a pre-existing nonconforming use.

j.wojtas@thday.com

Twitter: @joewojtas