Request for Concept Proposals Issued for Fort Scott

​​​​​The Presidio Trust offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a “Campus for Change” at San Francisco’s iconic national park​​​

San Francisco (January 18, 2018) – The Presidio Trust today issued a Request for Concept Proposals (RFCP) seeking proposals from one or more mission-driven organizations to revitalize the Presidio’s Fort Winfield Scott (“Fort Scott”) into a “Campus for Change” addressing the significant environmental and/or social challenges of our time.

One of the most magnificent locations in San Francisco, the 30-acre cluster of historic buildings, landscapes, walking trails, and athletic fields sits atop a bluff with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, and the city skyline. The site features one of the largest groups of historic buildings remaining to be renovated in the Presidio, a national park site at the center of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in Northern California.

Responses to the RFCP are due June 29, 2018. The Presidio Trust welcomes concept proposals from organizations, individually or in a joint venture/partnership.

“Fort Winfield Scott combines the peace and quiet of a national park with immediate access to San Francisco and Silicon Valley, so it’s a unique place for one or more mission-driven organizations to tackle the environmental and social challenges of our day,” says Jean Fraser, CEO of the Presidio Trust. “We’ve long had a vision of a higher purpose for Fort Scott. We’re excited to see if there are qualified organizations out there interested in this opportunity.”

The Fort Scott RFCP seeks proposals for a “Campus for Change” that may contain offices or educational facilities, co-working spaces, and retreat and/or meeting space, all of which will be served by a small public transportation hub. The offering includes 280,000 square feet of space in 20 historic buildings that require rehabilitation, including the Mission Revival barracks that ring the historic parade ground. Respondents may opt to include two additional buildings totaling 15,000 square feet of space. New construction of up to 20,000 square feet may be considered. Costs for revitalizing the campus are estimated at $200 million. Because the buildings qualify as certified historic structures, the successful bid may be eligible for the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program.

Though the RFCP seeks private funding to revitalize and operate Fort Scott, the site and structures will remain in a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area overseen by the Presidio Trust. Visitor access will be maintained, including to the public athletic fields, and trail connections through the site to the rest of the Presidio may be enhanced.

“This is not a traditional development opportunity,” says Josh Bagley, Director of Real Estate Development at the Presidio Trust. “In seeking proposals for a mission-driven campus, we welcome bids from foundations, non-profits, and other organizations from around the country who can achieve the project goals and are able to provide the resources necessary to rehabilitate the site.”

The objectives of the Fort Scott revitalization include:

• Preserving the buildings and landscapes according to their historic status,
• Modeling environmental sustainability in design, construction, and operation,
• Enhancing the biodiversity of the Presidio through landscape design,
• Contributing to the public visitor experience; and
• Completing the construction expeditiously.

Qualified respondents will be invited to participate in the second step of the process: submitting a full Request for Proposals (RFP).

Building on Success

The Presidio Trust has managed the interior of the park since 1998 and is now financially self-sufficient, operating with revenue generated by commercial and residential rentals in the park and with no taxpayer support.

Past successful co-development projects include: the Thoreau Center for Sustainability with Equity Community Builders (1996); the Letterman Digital Arts Center with George Lucas (2005); The Walt Disney Family Museum (2009); and Landmark Apartments with Forest City Enterprises (2014). These projects have achieved LEED certification and have been honored for adaptive reuse. The Presidio welcomes more than five million visitors each year, and its historic buildings are home to 3,000 residents and 200 tenant organizations, from high-tech start-ups and foundations to visitor destinations.

Public Engagement and Site Tours

Public feedback on the Fort Scott project is welcome at fortscott@presidiotrust.gov. The public and potential respondents to the RFCP are welcome to tour the site beginning in February 2018. A schedule of dates will be posted to the Presidio Trust website (Fort Winfield Scott).

RFCP Contact:

Josh Bagley, (415) 561-5335; fortscott@presidiotrust.gov
The Presidio Trust
103 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94129

Fort Scott History

Fort Winfield Scott, named for the most prominent U.S. Army officer of the 19th century, was initially established as an independent post for the Coast Artillery Corps. While located within the Presidio Army post, Fort Scott functioned separately with its own commander until after World War II. Over the course of half a century, it served as headquarters for the defense of the Bay Area’s coastline, from the era of breech loaded, rifled guns to Nike missiles. Constructed between 1909 and 1912, the Fort Scott barracks feature the earliest example of the Mission Revival architectural style at the Presidio.

About the Presidio
The Presidio served as a military installation from its establishment in 1776 as Spain’s northern-most outpost of colonial power in the New World, later passing to Mexico and then the United States. In 1972, Congress created one of the world’s largest national parks in an urban setting – the Golden Gate National Recreation Area – and declared that the Presidio would be part of the GGNRA should the military ever leave. At the end of the Cold War in 1989, Congress decided to close the Presidio. Its 218-year tenure as a military post ended in 1994 when the U.S. Army lowered its flag for the last time and the Presidio became one of the nation’s parks.

Over the past two decades, the Presidio has undergone an exciting “post to park” transformation. The Presidio Trust, the National Park Service, and the non-profit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy have rehabilitated hundreds of historic buildings as visitor destinations, homes, and workplaces; restored native habitats; built hiking and biking trails; and created destinations and programs to welcome visitors. Learn more at www.presidio.gov.

Editor’s Note: Interviews with project staff and photo assets are available upon request.

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