Baywatch producers are looking to expand their Venice Beach footprint as filming continues on the show.
The producers met with city and county officials at Fox on Friday and reached an agreement to change the show’s filming permit.
“Everyone left this meeting feeling really good,” said Los Angeles City Council member Tracy Park, who attended. “We want to encourage this, not discourage it.”
“Baywatch” is seen as a showpiece of the government’s efforts to bring production back to Los Angeles. The 12-episode reboot received a $21 million tax credit from the California Film Commission last fall.
The California Coastal Commission, which regulates beach access, unanimously approved a filming permit for the film on February 6th. The permit allows for the use of 27 parking spaces adjacent to the beach and 177 parking spaces on nearby city property.
However, once production began in early March, it was discovered that the show needed more space than it had requested.
“The production of ‘Baywatch’ has actually grown significantly beyond what we originally envisioned and what was in the permit application,” Park said. “We’re excited that it turned out to be even bigger than they expected.”
The production will require a parking space approximately twice the size of the beach parking lot, and plans are also to seek permission for overnight parking. The current permit only allows parking between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m. on the day of the shoot.
Filming is scheduled until July 16th and will also take place at other beaches in the Los Angeles area. Permits along the coast do not allow filming at night, but Park said authorities would allow it.
“As long as we need to extend the filming time so we can shoot nighttime scenes, we will do that,” Park said.
The county’s Beach and Harbor Authority is tasked with enforcing the conditions of the permit. Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath said the production and stakeholders worked to increase communication and coordination and agreed to the permit changes.
“There is an unwavering commitment shared by both our public partners and the production team to a successful season here in Los Angeles and many more to come,” Horvath said in a statement.
Mayor Karen Bass’ film director Steve Kang also attended the meeting to break the news that the city’s Transportation Commission had agreed to a 20 percent discount on city parking rental rates.
This permit allowed the production to close a small portion of the beach (300 square feet) for filming. The permit also includes provisions to maintain public access, protect wildlife, and prevent sand erosion.
The meeting came after a March 29 post on the Crew Stories Facebook page citing an anonymous crew member who claimed that government regulations forced the production plant to move from Venice Beach. Both the production and other people involved said that was not the case.
“I’m thrilled that ‘Baywatch’ will continue filming right here in Venice Beach,” Bass said in a tweet Friday afternoon. “The City of Los Angeles is constantly removing bureaucratic barriers to make filming in the entertainment capital of the world easier and more affordable.”
