WeWork, Elon Musk nonprofit bid for Fort Scott development in Presidio

The Golden Gate Bridge rises behind buildings at Fort Scott in the Presidio on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, in San Francisco. The Presidio Trust hopes to find a developer to revitalize the area. The Golden Gate Bridge rises behind buildings at Fort Scott in the Presidio on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, in San Francisco. The Presidio Trust hopes to find a developer to revitalize the area. Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close WeWork, Elon Musk nonprofit bid for Fort Scott development in Presidio 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Davos by the Golden Gate Bridge, anyone? Startup labs? How about a WeWork?

The nine teams competing to redevelop the historic Fort Winfield Scott campus in the Presidio include the World Economic Forum, the organizer of the annual conference in Switzerland for the global financial elite; OpenAI, a research venture backed by Elon Musk; and co-working space operator WeWork.

The mostly vacant 22-building property spans 30 acres, making it one of the largest development sites in San Francisco outside downtown and Mission Bay.

The Presidio Trust, which oversees the site, will hold a public hearing on the nine competing bids on July 25 and pick a developer sometime in 2019.

“To receive nine proposals exceeds our hopes and makes us really happy with such a high level of interest,” the Presidio Trust said in a statement. “It validates the unique concept of creating a campus for change at Fort Winfield Scott.”

The request for proposals issued in January sought out “mission-driven organizations” willing to work in the unusual confines of a national park and a campus of historic buildings.

“We are really looking at this as a place where people can tackle social and environmental problems,” Presidio Trust CEO Jean Fraser told The Chronicle in January. “We tend to believe that’s going to be best done over the long term by nonprofits.”

Photo: John Blanchard

WeWork, a private company valued by investors at $20 billion, and the John Stewart Co., a real-estate management firm, were the only purely for-profit groups to submit a proposal. OpenAI, though supported by some famous Silicon Valley names, is organized as a nonprofit. Some nonprofit bidders brought on for-profit real estate developers as partners.

Any project has major financial hurdles: Renovation costs of the existing buildings are estimated at $200 million, and Bay Area construction costs have escalated amid a worker shortage. The trust also wants a new transit facility as part of the project and environmental sustainability upgrades. It prefers that developers self-finance, rather than raising money through philanthropy.

Fast-growing WeWork and the Lela Goren Group want to renovate the complex into a 2,000-desk incubator for nonprofits and veteran-founded companies, a nod to the Presidio’s history as a military post. Facilities would also include WeWork’s school, group housing and fitness center divisions.

“At Fort Scott, WeWork would actively seek to bring the most impactful and ingenious problem solvers together to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges,” Lela Goren and WeWork co-founder Miguel McKelvey wrote in the proposal.

In a competing bid, giant West Coast office landlord Kilroy Realty Corp. wants to develop a new campus for OpenAI, which seeks to create artificial intelligence that benefits humanity. A potential team member is landscape architect James Corner Field Operations, which is working on a separate Presidio project to build the Tunnel Tops park.

“This is an opportunity to build a space for an organization that’s trying to solve the most pressing challenges facing the world — that’s how to deal with artificial intelligence,” said Mike Grisso, Kilroy senior vice president, development and land planning. “I think it’s an exciting opportunity to work in one of the most beautiful settings in San Francisco and the world.”

Kilroy owns 14 million square feet on the West Coast and is one of the Bay Area’s largest landlords. It’s also developing the new Flower Mart, which includes 2 million square feet of office space, in central South of Market.

OpenAI, which is headquartered in the Mission District, wants to host public events and house researchers at the Presidio.

“OpenAI feels it’s an incredible environment with a great location with a lot of opportunity to create both a long-term home for us and to better interact with the public and share research,” said Chris Clark, OpenAI’s chief operating officer.

Seven other teams are in the running to redevelop Fort Scott.

•California Clean Energy Fund Ventures, Epic Institute and Orton Development Inc. proposed a climate-change center along with a hotel and affordable housing. Orton is the developer of the historic Pier 70 project in San Francisco.

•Concrete Preservation Institute, Cross Street Partners, McCormack Baron Salazar and partners called for a military training center.

•Equity Community Builders, which previously built affordable housing in the Presidio, and the World Economic Forum, an existing tenant at Fort Scott, proposed an academic and tech campus along with restaurants.

•Housing developer John Stewart Co., veteran land broker Chris Foley of Ground Matrix and Doug Ross of Palisade Builders Inc. called for nonprofit offices, artist spaces and restaurants.

•Cornell University’s Energy Materials Center, construction giant Aecom, Renewable Nations Institute, and the Institute for the Integration of Technology in Teaching and Learning proposed an energy education center with more than 3,000 students focusing on global warming.

•Seneca Family of Agencies submitted plans for a charter school, homeless services and a hotel.

• Berkeley nonprofit Star Alliance proposed an academy for teachers and other professionals, television studios and offices.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf