Stonington borough rejects third attempt at Old Lighthouse Museum expansion
Stonington — After three nights of public hearings, the borough Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday denied a text amendment and special use permit needed by the Stonington Historical Society to construct a small addition to the Old Lighthouse Museum for handicapped access and other uses.
The commission denied the application, saying it wanted to create a regulation dealing with handicapped access in more zones and that the changes the commission had considered making to the text amendment originally submitted were not properly advertised.
In addition, the text amendment had not been made available through the clerk’s office.
The commission denied the applications without prejudice, which means the historical society can reapply.
The commission indicated it would take four to five months to put together comprehensive regulations dealing with handicapped access.
Commission member Don Maranell encouraged the society to then resubmit an application because the “long-term goal of making the museum handicapped accessible is a very worthy cause.”
This was the society’s third version of a plan to renovate and slightly expand the museum.
Although diminished in size, the addition continues to be met with opposition from some neighbors.
In late March, the society outlined a new, smaller proposal after neighbors of the museum opposed two previous designs in 2013 and 2015.
The design had been reworked and scaled back to 495 square feet to reflect the concerns of neighbors and to provide for what the society called the minimal essential needs of the museum, which is to restore the building to protect it and the exhibits while offering handicapped accessibility, a handicapped bathroom and the rest of the additional space for ticketing and a small gift shop.
The proposed text amendment would have allowed a legal nonconforming use in the R2 zone, such as the museum, to expand to provide handicapped access plus 10 percent more space.
The addition could not be seen from Water Street and would allow ticketing and the gift shop to be relocated from the front of the museum, which is not handicapped-accessible and where they are mixed in with exhibits, to the rear.
The new plan also called for a more traditional, historic feel with less glass and the look of a weathered shingle barn.
Neighbors also are concerned the society will host more special events on its lawn and generate more traffic.
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