‘Crown jewel’ for sale: This 140-acre Bay Area property was owned by biotech pioneer
A unique and verdant 140-acre estate — once owned by a pioneer of the biotech industry — that sits above the San Francisco Bay with uninterrupted views in all directions is up for sale via an online auction in May.
Dubbed King Mountain Estate, the property west of Mount Tamalpais offers an ultra-private setting and views of San Francisco. The home site is nestled among tens of thousands of acres of public open space. Yet, the land is about 12 driving miles from the Golden Gate Bridge.
The estate, located in unincorporated Marin County and spanning the borders of Kentfield and Larkspur, was owned by Herbert Boyer, co-founder of Genentech, a biotechnology company that led the way in genetic engineering. The property is now owned by a Los Angeles trust, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.
Concierge Auctions is handling the online bidding in cooperation with Steve Mavromihalis of the Compass real estate firm. It is currently listed for $25 million, and will sell with no reserve to the highest bidder, according to a news release.
Whoever buys the land could begin building right away and avoid a lengthy public approval process. The sale includes approved plans for the construction of a 27,500-square-foot compound with a main residence, caretaker’s home, auxiliary buildings, large swimming pool, access roads, vineyards, orchards and horse corrals. There are five water wells on the site, and an agreement is in place for public water to be delivered to the property at any time.
The 32-acre primary building site runs along a flat ridge line offering 360-degree vistas of San Francisco, the bay and its bridges, East Bay, South Marin and Mount Tamalpais.
“King Mountain is the crown jewel of Bay Area estate home sites,” Mavromihalis said in a statement. “No other property combines King Mountain’s privacy, views, verdant natural surroundings—amidst thousands of acres of public open space, abundant water supply, and ability to live totally off the grid; yet just minutes away from shopping, cafes, and restaurants, and only 12 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. This auction provides an exceptionally creative entrepreneur with the opportunity to develop one of the world’s extraordinary legacy compounds.”
The auction is May 12-19.
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
