When strangers come to New London and remark, as they so often do, that a city with miles of accessible waterfront and a historic legacy surely has the formula for success, it's a reminder to us locals not to overlook the obvious: We have the beach.

Saltwater beaches are what this city and Connecticut's other shoreline communities can offer. They have lured visitors to the region by rail and highway and, back around 1900, by steamer.

That's why vacationers like Charles S. Guthrie, the steel magnate who in 1902 built the estate that is now the Lighthouse Inn, would come to eastern Connecticut, with its enviable white, sandy beaches and the kinder, gentler waves of Long Island Sound. It's why the would-be developer of the Lighthouse Inn is awaiting an agreement with a neighboring beach association for guests' use of the beach before he moves forward on his proposed $10 million development of the property, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The developer, Michael Dattilo, a principal owner of the Water's Edge Resort & Spa in Westbrook, is scheduled to meet Friday with the leadership of the Guthrie Beach Association about restoring access to that private stretch of beach a short walk away on Pequot Avenue.

Dattilo's preferred developer status is effective only until June 6, adding urgency to the need for an agreement that satisfies both parties and moves his proposal along to the next steps of site plan development, negotiation of sale price and any tax breaks, and a resolution of the large outstanding water bill that comes with the property as a lien.

With so many in the city rooting for a rejuvenated Lighthouse Inn to reopen, and with the building itself continuing to deteriorate from years without major maintenance, The Day urges the developer to find a way swiftly. By June 6 the City Council will be looking for progress, after granting two extensions already.

The termination of beach use for the inn's guests has its roots in the same problems that ran up a $40,000 water charge, left the mortgage unpaid and resulted in the property eventually being taken by the city for back taxes: The owners were not paying their bills, including the annual charges from the beach association.

The city took over the property, which closed in 2008, and has agreed to forego the taxes, but the water bill and the beach arrangements must be separately negotiated.

Pequot Avenue has other private beaches, some of which might be interested in welcoming the inn's guests in return for reimbursement, but the developer has indicated to the city's Office of Planning and Development that the historic context of the inn property will be a factor in whatever plan he eventually submits for approval. Guthrie Beach, reachable by Guthrie Place from the inn — the former Guthrie mansion — has an integral history that the others do not.

A separate question, which may have to await the approval of a site plan, would be whether the owners of up to 30 condominiums on the 4.2-acre property would have automatic beach rights, and if so, at which beach. That doesn't need to hold up progress right now.

Dattilo was the choice for preferred developer after the council rejected four other proposals in favor of his, which calls for a $1 sale price, 15 years of tax abatements and a self-financed investment of $10 million. He would fully restore the inn — a key factor in the council's decision. Townhouse-style condominiums are proposed for the rest of the mostly wooded property.

The business plan for a development of this size depends on many elements, and this developer has shown success in knowing what it takes to operate an even larger resort at Water's Edge Resort & Spa in Westbrook. A sense of place is part of it, as is a place to relax and have fun in the sun, the sand, and the water. The members of Guthrie Beach Association, who have been good stewards of a sizable stretch of the city's shoreline, deserve a fair deal and some assurances of what to expect in the future.

The city is taking a close interest in the discussions between the beach association and the developer, but neither side has asked for municipal intervention in the talks. We hope that's a sign that, once at the table, this won't be difficult.