Pair of North Bay properties trade for $17.5M

A North Bay beachfront house designed by famed mid-century architect William Wurster has sold for $14.25 million — more than $7,000 per square foot. The buyers of the Stinson Beach property also purchased a lagoon-fronting sport court across the street for $3.25 million for a combined “once in a generation beach retreat,” according to listing notes on the property.

229 and 230 Seadrift Road, Stinson Beach (Matt McCourtney)

The 1964 home at 230 Seadrift Drive had never before come to market and the sport court at 229 Seadrift Drive were owned by the same family, who were one of the first owners in the gated Seadrift community, which was developed in the 1950s.

Listing agents Sara Sherfey Gemma and Barbara Sherfey Mitchell of Sotheby’s International did not respond to a request for comment about the sales, but Redfin data shows that the combined $17.5 million for the two properties is the biggest sale in the North Bay community for at least the last five years. Both went for slightly over list price and were in contract 10 days after coming to market in mid-May. They closed just over one week later, indicating an all-cash deal.

The buyer is an LLC called Butterscotch Holdings, which bought both properties in the gated Seadrift community from the heirs of Donald and Sharon Wilcox. They were married for more than 50 years before they died in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Donald Wilcox was an ob/gyn who served as the past chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Marin General Hospital, and past president of the San Francisco Gynecology Society.

Until now the Wilcoxes and their descendants have been the only owners of the four-bedroom, three-bathroom house, which was designed by Wurster in the early 1960s. It still appears largely in original condition. Also, the Wilcoxes have been the owners of the property across the street since the 1950s, when the gated neighborhood was first developed. It is the lagoon’s only sport court, and one of only 17 vacant lagoon-fronting properties, according to the listing notes.

The sports court is suitable for pickleball and basketball, and the property also has a deck that spans the length of the 7,500-square-foot lot, which also includes a floating dock.

229 and 230 Seadrift Road, Stinson Beach (Matt McCourtney)

If the new owners want to develop the lot, they have the option of using drawings from Marin-based architect Steve Wisenbaker, who has designed other Stinson Beach homes and is presumably well-versed in what the highly-regulated coastal community would be likely to approve. His plans, as well as proposed septic plans for the property, were included in the sale.

Of course, the new owners could also just keep 229 Seadrift as a pickleball court with $3-plus-million views, since they also bought the bayfront house across the street. Given the restrictive building policies in the area and the historic nature of the wood-shingled Wurster design, it would likely be an uphill battle to greatly modify that building’s envelope, but an extensive interior remodel seems likely.

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